Rainbow's Quest
by Zetriax
Summary: Rainbow Dash is having a lazy day when Pinkie Pie gives her a strange stone. Through many trials and discoveries, she embarks on a quest like never before.
1. A Lazy Day

_Chapter 1- A Lazy Day_

Rainbow Dash was dozing on a drifting cloud. Celestia's sun shone brightly over Ponyville. Since she had no work to do, she had read the latest edition of Darane-Do. Now she was pretty much bored. She would see if Pinkie Pie wanted to go pranking with her.

Rainbow climbed off her cloud and drifted in a lazy spiral toward the ground. She walked through the streets until she reached Sugarcube Corner. There were a few ponies inside the shop, but it wasn't too busy.

"Pinkie Pie, are you here?" Rainbow called. She waited for a second, then turned to leave.

"Rainbow Dash!" called Pinkie from behind.

Rainbow turned back to the shop and saw Pinkie bouncing towards her. "Hey Pinkie! How's it going?"

"Really awesomely spectacular! I found this really weird rock by the Everfree Forest! Wanna see it?" Before Rainbow could protest, Pinkie shoved a smooth white stone in her face.

"Hey! You ever hear of personal space?" Rainbow complained.

"Yeah! But, look look look! There's little carvings in it! And it looks like your cutie mark!" Pinkie said.

"What?" Rainbow exclaimed. Looking closer, the stone was engraved with an exact replica of her cutie mark. "What does this mean?" she asked Pinkie Pie.

"I don't know. You can have it if you want. I'm gonna go make some cupcakes!" said Pinkie, bouncing back to the kitchen.

"Have fun with that," she said, exiting the bakery.

Rainbow glanced at the stone when she got outside. "Maybe I'll visit Princess Twilight in Canterlot. She'll know what it is," She flicked her eyes from side to side, hoping nopony saw her talking to herself. Sighing, she began took off towards her house. It was to late to travel to Canterlot today.

When she arrived at her house made of clouds, she set the stone under her pillow and wandered to her kitchen to scavenge food. After a hearty meal of daisy salad, hay fries, and cookies, she flopped onto the cloudy bed and fell asleep.


	2. Problems in Canterlot

_Chapter 2- Problems in Canterlot_

Rainbow streaked across the sky towards Canterlot Castle. The stone was in a saddlebag draped across her back. As she flew, she wondered what the stone could be. Maybe it was simply a carving made by an admiring filly. But, no mare would let their filly that close to the Everfree Forest. So what could it be?

The castle loomed ahead of her now. Instead of going to the front gate, she veered up and made for the tower she knew was Twilight Sparkle's dwelling. She nodded at the guards below her, and the acknowledged to with a nod of their own. She had been to the castle enough to be known as an ally, and a friend to one of the princesses.

Rainbow landed on the balcony of the tower and knocked on the door. Twilight's voice came from behind the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me. Rainbow. Open up!"

A series of locks sounded and the door swung open. "Dashie!" exclaimed Twilight and ran forward to hug her friend.

"So, why are you here?"

"Pinkie Pie gave me this stone she found near the Everfree Forest," she replied, pulling the stone out of her saddlebag. "It has my cutie mark on it. I was wondering if you knew what it was."

"Hm." Twilight pondered as she seized the stone with her magic.

Rainbow didn't see anything happening but Twilight kept nodding and started writing stuff down. "So?" queried Rainbow Dash after a few minutes.

Twilight looked up from the stone. "I'm not exactly sure where it came from originally but there are traces of magic embedded in the stone. Whoever made it was either a Unicorn or an Alicorn. And it was meant to wind up in your hooves."

"I don't get it. What is it? What does it do?"

"It's a Fate Stone," Twilight said. She pulled a book from the shelf. "They are closely related to the Elements of Harmony. You remember how they used to be stone spheres? Fate Stones were invented by Starswirl the Bearded to let one see their future. They were originally designed to let a pony see their future in their sleep. But, something went wrong with the spell. Instead of simply seeing the future, they were transported into the future."

Rainbow's eyes widened, "Cool! I can go to the future using this!"

"NO! If you use this you may never come back!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Of course I'll come back. So, how do I use it?"

"Listen to me Dash! This is serious magic. You could change the results of the entire world by going there! Just take my advice and throw that away or something."

"Well. Okay," replied Rainbow Dash somberly.

Just then a pounding sounded at the door and a guard burst in. "Princess Twilight Sparkle! We need your help! Somepony's trying to break through the gate. She claims to have come to warn us of something."

"Fine. I'll be right down. Rainbow, you go on back to Ponyville. Maybe we can chat about this another time."

"Okay."

When the door closed, Rainbow Dash glanced at the book Twilight was reading from. It was entitled, _Relics and Artifacts_. She grabbed the book and the stone and placed them both in her saddlebag. She would do a little research of her own before throwing the stone away.


	3. A Night of Studying

_Chapter 3- A Night of Studying_

It was later that night when Rainbow Dash sat on the edge of her bed and pulled out _Relics and Artifacts_. She kinda felt bad for taking the book from Twilight without asking. Oh well. She'd done worse things before. Rainbow flipped open the book and ran through the table of contents until she spotted a chapter called _Fate Stones_.

She flipped to the page and began to read.

_Starswirl the Bearded was a gifted unicorn. He created many spells and creations. One of the most notable of these creations is the Fate Stone. He originally made it so that anypony could see his or her future. But he couldn't get the spell right. He attempted to make a working Fate Stone but his attempts met with failure. After the second stone was created, he gave up. Starswirl thought the stones were too dangerous as it was and hid the two he had created. His failed experiments ended up bearing stones that transported the user into the future. There were two problems with this..._

"Yeah, yeah, Twilight already told me all this. How do you use it?" Rainbow said to herself. Just then, Tank, her pet tortoise, crawled up onto the book and curled into his shell.

"Come on, Tank! I'm tryin' to read!" Rainbow Dash said to the stubborn turtle. Tank's only reply was a peek from the shell before his head retracted back in.

"Ugh!" Rainbow exclaimed. She picked up the obnoxious creature at set him on the floor beside the bed.

She returned to the book and skimmed the page. She flipped it and scanned the next page. Finally, she found what she was looking for.

_How to Use the Fate Stones:_

_After Starswirl's death, a couple scrolls were found telling about the Fate Stones. This is why we even know of their existence at all. Among the notes were the instructions on how to activate their power._

_No. 1- Lay the stone on a large flat surface (such as the ground.)_

_No. 2- Crouch down next to it and let your snout touch the stone._

_No. 3- You should instantly fall asleep._

"That's it? No magic words or anything?" Rainbow said. She was tempted to try the ritual, but before she closed the book, she noticed another heading that drew her attention.

_Fates Stones with Cutie Marks:_

_During his experiments, Starswirl concluded that if a Fate Stone was ever lost or destroyed in the world of dreams, the pony would not be able to return to consciousness. (This also applies to going to the future and not being able to return.) To prevent this, he tried to find a way to make them indestructible. Since there was no perfect spell, he turned to another method. If a pony's cutie mark was engraved on its surface, the stone would only be usable that pony, and only be able to be destroyed by that pony._

"Well that sort of my cutie mark being on here," said Rainbow, holding up the stone. "But, why would anypony put _my_ cutie mark on it? Wouldn't he or she want to put their own on it?"

Just then Rainbow heard raindrop's pattering on the roof of her cloudy home. She hadn't expected rain. The weather pegasi must've pulled together a last minute storm without telling her. Whatever. She wanted to try out the stone tonight anyways. She laid the stone on the floor and crouched over it, touching her nose to the surprisingly cool stone.

Rainbow heard the door of her bedroom crash open behind her.

"No, Rainbow! Wait!" the intruder yowled.

Rainbow Dash tried to turn from the stone and face the intruder but, before she could get up, a powerful force pulled her mind into a deep, dark abyss.


	4. Beyond Reality

_Chapter 4- Beyond Reality_

At first Rainbow was a little disappointed. All she could see was darkness. Did the stone not work? Did the pony that burst in ruin something? Rainbow wondered who the mysterious pony was. She didn't sound like any of her friends. Yet, her voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Nothing was happening. Rainbow decided she should just wake back up. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was no longer in her house. She was on a solitary cloud in the sky. She stood up and peered over the edge of the cloud. Below her was Ponyville. It didn't look any different. Did the stone simply teleport her someplace else? No, there was something different. There were new buildings here and there. And she couldn't recognize some of the ponies walking along the street below.

"Rainbow Dash, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," said somepony behind her. Rainbow turned around to see the speaker. She didn't recognize the orange pegasus before her.

"Sorry do I know you?" Rainbow asked.

"Ha! Good one. As if you could forget me," she replied.

"What do you mean? I've never met you before," Rainbow said, genuinely confused.

"Is this some kind of joke? It's not really funny. Cut it out," the orange pegasus said.

"I think I would remember a friend."

"Rainbow? Are you okay? It's me: Scootaloo."

Rainbow stifled a gasp. "Scootaloo? But, you're an adult. How did …?" Then feeling extremely stupid she remembered that this was the future. Her future self probably saw Scootaloo like this every day. She had to think of a recovery.

"Got ya, didn't I?" Rainbow said, feigning a giggle.

The concern left Scootaloo's eyes and a smile spread across her face. "Yeah, but just for a second there."

"So you said you were looking for me?" said Rainbow.

"Oh! That's right. Shadow Flare needs you. He said he'd be near the Everfree forest," Scootaloo said.

"Um, yeah okay," she restrained herself from asking who in Equestria this pony was. She would just see when she got there.

She jumped off the cloud and flew in the direction of the Everfree. She passed a few new establishments but it looked generally the same. She wondered how far she was in the future. It couldn't be too far off as Scootaloo still looked pretty young.

Before long, the Everfree Forest loomed ahead of her. There was a black unicorn with a jagged, red mane leaning against a tree.

"Shadow Flare?" she asked.

The black unicorn looked up at her with bright green eyes. "Ah! Finally! I was beginning to worry they'd never find you."

Rainbow assumed he meant the former Cutie Mark Crusaders. "So, why did you need to see me?"

"Well, I know you've been busy with the Wonderbolts and all, but since you are the fastest flyer in Equestria I needed you to take an urgent message to Queen Twilight," he said.

"_Queen _Twilight? Wasn't she turned a princess only three months ago? What happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? Why would I be too busy with the Wonderbolts? Why can't you get Spike to send the message? Who are you?" Rainbow covered her mouth with her hooves to halt the barrage of questions. She slowly looked up at Shadow Flare.

His eyes were narrowed suspiciously. "The better question is who are _you_? The real Rainbow Dash would know all of that."

"I am the real Rainbow Dash! But I… I'm from the past."


	5. A Lesson to be Learned

_Chapter 5- A Lesson to be Learned_

"Follow me," Shadow said.

Rainbow nodded and obeyed. Shadow led the blue pegasus through Ponyville to a place she knew quite well. It was the library where Twilight Sparkle used to live before she became a princess. The place had changed very little since however long ago that was now.

"This is where I live," Shadow said.

"You live here now? You know my friend Twilight…"

"… Used to live here. I know," he finished for her. "You know, I'm actually a student of Twilight's. She has been teaching me some of the lessons Celestia taught her."

"Why are you telling me this? Aren't you supposed to be interrogating me or something?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, maybe I believe you're from the past," he said indifferently.

"Why? Don't you think it's weird that I just show up out of nowhere and claim to be from the past?"

Shadow smirked, "Do you want me to be wary of you?"

"Well, no. But, I know I wouldn't believe a single word out of my mouth in your position. You just seem to be a bit too… trusting."

Shadow Flare shrugged. "As logic would have it, a pony who was hiding something wouldn't have said any of that. That was a test. One telling a lie would've never brought attention to the fact that they may be untrustworthy. One telling the truth would normally be surprised by the sudden trust being placed in them. It's reverse psychology."

"Oh," Rainbow said. She was pretty confused as it was without some egghead trying to teach her about reverse whatchamacallits. Maybe she should've listened to Twilight. She didn't understand this future. She didn't belong here, at least not yet.

"Well, thanks but I need to get going," Rainbow said.

"Where are you going? You don't know enough to be out and about yet," Shadow said.

"I need to go home. To my own time. I appreciate your help but I don't need to be here. Its feels too strange," she admitted.

"I understand completely. Good luck," he said.

Rainbow Dash reached for her saddlebag to grab the Fate Stone. Only then did she remember she didn't bring her saddlebag with her. Her face flushed with panic. She had lost the Fate Stone!


	6. The Search Begins

_Chapter 6- The Search Begins_

"Where is it?" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Where is what?" asked Shadow Flare.

"My Fate Stone! That's the only way I can get back to my time!"

"Where did you see it last?" he queried.

"Let's see. I was at my house in my time and, when I used it, I woke up on this cloud…" she faltered. If it was still on the cloud, the stone could've drifted anywhere. It could very well be beyond her reach forever.

Crestfallen, she sunk to her haunches. Shadow came up to her and rested his tail across her shoulders. "We'll find it," he said encouragingly.

"Yeah, right. It's hopeless. The stone is probably a million miles away by now," said Rainbow.

"Listen to me," he said, sitting in front of her. "We will find that stone. We just need to make sure you stay inconspicuous."

Just then a knock sounded at the door. Shadow cast Rainbow a glance. She understood and went to hide in the basement. She stood at the top of the stairs and left the door cracked ever so slightly to peek out. Shadow Flare went to the door and opened it.

"Flare! Why didn't you show up?" asked the visitor. From Rainbow's angle, she couldn't see the mysterious visitor.

"Oh yeah, something came up and I had to leave. It was really important," Shadow said. Rainbow Dash decided that his statement was, in most part, true.

"So, I cut time out of my day to help you deliver some message and you don't even bother leaving a note or anything? You could've at least left the letter there for me to pick up," said the exasperated pony. Something about this pony's voice reminded her of the voice of the one that belonged to the pony that had burst into her house the other night. Was that really just last night? It already felt like days.

"I'm sorry. I was just in a hurry. It was a last minute thing that just threw everything off," he apologized.

Rainbow cracked the door to see if she could catch a glimpse of the stranger. She was surprised to see a setting sun shining directly behind the figure, silhouetting the pony. No features were distinguishable in the blinding light.

"What was that?" said the stranger.

Rainbow shrunk back from the door.

"Somepony's in here with you."

The pony's silhouette entered the house.

"Wait!" said Shadow.

"I'm not afraid of you! Come out and show yourself!"

Rainbow could now see the stranger approaching the door. She could see her blue pelt, feathered wings, reddish eyes and multicolored mane. It was no stranger at all. It was herself.


	7. Doppelgangers

_Chapter 7- Doppelgangers_

Rainbow Dash turned and bolted down the staircase. In the basement, she quickly located a place to hide. She darted behind a bookshelf and peered over the books at the staircase. Her future self was striding boldly down the stairs, looking ready to pummel the intruder.

Rainbow ducked when her gaze swept past her hiding place.

"Where are you hiding? Come out and face me, pony to pony!" Future Rainbow yowled.

Her gaze swept again over her hiding place and Rainbow backed up, accidently bumping into a bookshelf behind her. Rainbow watched in horror as a flask that had been on top of the shelf was dislodged from its perch. It plummeted as if in slow motion. Rainbow darted to catch the flask but missed by a hair's breadth and the flask shattered beneath her hooves.

"There you are," came Future Rainbow's ominous voice.

Rainbow could hear the hoofsteps approaching her hiding place. She squeezed her eyes closed and clenched her teeth. There was no place to hide.

"Rainbow!" called Shadow Flare.

"I've got him! I know where the intruder is hiding. There's nowhere to run!" Rainbow's future self called back.

Rainbow Dash opened an eye and saw a blue leg step around the corner. Wait. Is this how she wanted her future self to see her? Cowering in fear? No. She would prove to herself, literally, that she was strong and fearless. Rainbow stood up and brushed the dust from her shoulder.

Future Rainbow Dash walked around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. The two Rainbow Dashes stared at each other. The Future Rainbow Dash waved a wing as if to test if it was a reflection. When Rainbow didn't respond, Future Rainbow snarled at crouched in preparation to attack.

"Wait! Rainbow!" Shadow Flare called. He came around the bookcase from behind Future Rainbow.

"What's going on here?" asked Future Rainbow.

Shadow stepped between the two cyan pegasi. "Rainbow Dash," he addressed the future version, "This is you from the past."

Future Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "I think I would remember coming here in the past if it was really me!"

"What?" asked Rainbow.

"Oh you're busted now. If you were really me from the past, then at one point, I was you. I would remember coming to the future, right? So, since I have _never_ time-traveled before, you and I are not the same pony! That makes you an imposter!"

Rainbow's head reeled with confusion. What in the wide world of Equestria was she saying? Future Rainbow Dash had never time-traveled before? Then how was did she explain herself. Suddenly, she understood what was happening. Not only did she not belong here, but none of this was ever supposed to happen. She had broken the timeline.


	8. As the Pendulum Swings

_Chapter 8- As the Pendulum Swings_

"What can this mean?" Shadow asked.

"That she's an imposter!" spat Future Rainbow.

"I'm not an imposter!" Rainbow objected, "I came from the past!"

"Really? Prove it!"

Rainbow thought for a second. "How about this. Ask me questions only you would know."

Future Rainbow nodded.

"What time are you from?" asked Shadow Flare.

Rainbow thought, "I'm not too sure. It was three months after Twilight Sparkle became a princess. Why?"

"Well it wouldn't be fair if she asked you a question about something that hasn't happened yet," was Shadow's reply.

Future Rainbow shot him a furious glare. "Fine. So you came from ten years ago."

"Ten years! Really?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Yes," said Future Rainbow, rolling her eyes. "First question: where are you from?"

"Cloudsdale."

"What is your pet and his name?"

"A tortoise named Tank."

"How did you get your cutie mark?"

"The pegasus race between me and the two foals who were picking on Fluttershy. I made my first Sonic Rainboom then."

"Grr. Who is Little Strongheart?"

"She's a buffalo that lives near Apploosa."

"What is your Element of Harmony?"

"Loyalty."

"Where do you live?"

"A house made of clouds at the edge of town. I made it myself."

"Okay. Now for the real question: where are your parents?"

The question struck Rainbow's heart. She didn't even know who her parents were. She had never seen their faces. She never knew the protection of a family. From a very young age, she had had to learn to stick up for herself. To be tough.

Rainbow realized a tear was running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. Future Rainbow nodded with a sigh. "It's really me."

Rainbow looked up at her future self. She, too, wore an expression of sadness.

Shadow Flare approached, "Now that that's settled, we can get on to more important matters."

"Yeah," said Rainbow, brushing off the momentary sadness.

"Do you still need me to send that message?" Future Rainbow asked.

"Oh! Yes, I hope it isn't too much trouble," said Shadow.

"None at all."

The three ponies ascended the staircase. Future Rainbow took the message, leaving Rainbow and Shadow Flare to discuss some things.

"Avoid drawing attention to yourself. Don't reveal yourself to anypony, if possible," said Shadow.

"Okay. I'll do that," acknowledged Rainbow.

"Have you run into anypony today besides me and, well, you?"

"Scootaloo. She's the one that told me you were waiting for me."

"Okay. Let's keep it that way."

Shadow Flare stood up and walked upstairs, "I'll be right back," he cast over his shoulder. Rainbow Dash nodded in acknowledgement and began to look around. The place didn't look much different than when Twilight had lived here, but here and there were new things. Lying on a desk was an object that caught her attention. The light glinted off the round, silver object.

She took it in her hoof. It was a pocket watch. She opened it and was taken aback by its oddness. On the inside was engraved a stylized dragon. But what was even weirder was the watch itself. The miniature clock had thirteen days instead of twelve hours. But the weirdest part about it was the fact that the hands were going counterclockwise. It was counting down.

Shadow Flare returned bearing a black cloak, "Here, you can use this whenever we go out."

"Thanks," said Rainbow, not looking up from the stopwatch. "Where did you get this?"

"Get what?" he asked.

"This trippy stopwatch," she said.

"I've never seen that before. Where did you find it?"

"On the desk. On top of that piece of paper," Rainbow answered, looking up.

"There was no paper on that desk last time I checked." He walked over and picked up the paper and unfolded it, using his magic. He appeared to read a word or two and handed it to Rainbow Dash. "It's for you."

Rainbow seized the paper and read it:

_Rainbow Dash,_

_You must leave. Take the stopwatch and use it wisely. Time is short._

_-Ragnarok_

"I don't get it. The watch doesn't even make sense. And who is this Ragnarok?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Wait," said Shadow, "Did you just say Ragnarok?"

"Yes."

Shadow Flare pulled a book from a bookshelf and flipped through the pages. He stopped on a page and stepped back to let Rainbow see the page. Upon it was a dragon unlike any she'd ever seen. It gave off a feeling of evil and menace that no other creature had made her feel. Not even Discord.

"In mythology, Ragnarok is said to be the entity that would destroy the entire world," said Shadow. "He awaits the End of Time and will tear the universe apart and return all to the Void."

"What?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Somehow, your being here must've altered time. You need to go back to your own time. If you don't it could spell the end of the world as we know it," he said solemnly.

Rainbow turned back to the watch. The hand was on twelve. Only twelve days until the end the world.


	9. Our Differences

_Chapter 9- Our Differences_

The next morning, Rainbow Dash (wearing her black cloak), Future Rainbow, and Shadow Flare set out to truly begin the search for the Fate Stone. As they walked, Rainbow kept gazing at the new sights that blended with the familiarities of the Ponyville she knew.

"What does that place sell?" Rainbow asked.

"That place sells potions and remedies. Zecora decided a while ago that a profit could be made with her creations," Shadow replied.

"Interesting," she said.

She turned to Future Rainbow. She had much she wanted to ask her future self. However, she didn't know where to start, or even what to call her. Calling her Rainbow Dash was weird and calling her Future Rainbow was just awkward, and could raise suspicions of passing ponies if they heard.

"Um, what should I call you?" Rainbow asked, without much of a better place to begin.

"What do you mean? You know my name," said Future Rainbow.

"Duh. It's just that it's awkward and confusing if we both called each other Rainbow Dash."

"Okay, how about this. You be Rainbow. I'll be Dash." She replied.

"Well that does take away confusion, but it makes you sound like the faster one."

"Well, maybe I am. I _am_ a full ten years older." Dash smirked.

"There's only one way to settle this!" said Rainbow.

Dash nodded, "How about from Sugarcube Corner to Carousel Boutique?"

Rainbow flexed her wings in preparation for the race. "You're on!"

"Ready?" said Dash.

"Set," said Rainbow.

"GO!" they both cried as they tore across the sky.

The two cyan pegasi flapped frantically as they tried to surpass each other. Rainbow relished the feeling of the wind in her face and the adrenaline rushing through her veins. However, the cloak was becoming a bit bothersome and the hood was slightly blocking her vision. She swiftly cast off the troubling article of clothing and put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with Dash.

Sugarcube Corner was upon them in an instant. They tagged the roof with their hooves almost simultaneously and darted towards the Carousel Boutique near the center of the town. They were a double-rainbow streak across the sky.

Rainbow struggled to pull ahead but they were perfectly matched. The Boutique was looming into view. It was going to be a tie if something didn't happen to put the odds in her favor. Summoning the last of her strength, Rainbow tried to put on a last spurt of speed.

She was about to tag the roof when she heard a gasp of alarm from somewhere below her. In her momentary distraction, Dash shot past and tagged the roof. "Shoot!" said Rainbow.

She turned to see who had gasped and saw a familiar pony standing below. It was Rarity.

"Why are there two of you? I thought the cave to the Pool of Mirrors was caved in," the white unicorn exclaimed.

"Oh! Hi Rarity!" said Dash. "Um, this is… a clone! Yeah. Shadow Flare made a clone of me and I just wanted to see how accurate it was," she lied.

"Oh. I see. Still hanging out with that magician, eh?"

"He is not a magician!" shot Dash, "He's just good at magic."

"Well then! I stand corrected," Rarity said in a teasing way, "But, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought you had a crush on him."

"Do not!" said Dash, whose face blushed.

Rarity giggled, "Oh, come off it. I was just teasing."

"Yeah, okay," said Dash, still a bit flustered.

"Speaking of Shadow, have you seen him lately? I repaired his saddlebag but I didn't see him at his cottage."

"He's helping look for this magical stone for Rainbow."

Rainbow tensed. That sort of mistake wasn't easy to cover. She hoped Dash could come up with a decent excuse.

"I beg your pardon?" said Rarity.

"Oh, I mean, my clone here. Yeah, she needs a special stone to work," Dash covered. Rainbow probably could've come up with something better, but it'd have to do.

"Whatever, I'll just get him to pick it up tomorrow. I'm going to be busy the rest of the night. I have thirteen special dress orders!" Rarity nodded her farewell and walked into the shop.

"What was that?" Rainbow asked Dash when Rarity was gone. "You lie worse than Applejack!"

Dash smirked, "You do realize that you just insulted yourself."

Rainbow smiled at that, "Yeah, guess I did."

"We're actually a bit different. You know?" said Dash.

Rainbow glanced at her curiously, "How do you figure?"

"Well," Dash began, "We obviously have differing opinions."

"I don't think that really makes us different," stated Rainbow.

Before Dash could counter, a voice interrupted their conversation.

"There you are! I was trying to tell you that racing was not the smartest idea, but nobody listens to me, do they?" Both Rainbow Dashes turned their gazes at him with amused expressions.

"And you certainly shouldn't remove your cloak in public," he said to Rainbow.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she said with a mock admonished tone.

Dash smiled widely, but refrained from laughing.

"We bumped into Rarity," said Rainbow, "She says your saddlebag is finished."

"Okay, I'll pick it up later. I wanted to know where you woke up when you arrived here."

"Um, it was somewhere over the south side of town. I'm not exactly sure where." Rainbow explained.

Shadow nodded, "Then we'll start there."


	10. Betrayal

_Chapter 10- Betrayal_

After a fruitless search around the south side of town, Rainbow and Shadow headed off towards the library while Dash went back to her house. Rainbow found it difficult to sleep. She kept on looking at the watch. Eleven days left until the end of the world. The concept sounded ridiculous. At least, it would if everypony's life wasn't in jeopardy.

Unable to lie there any longer, Rainbow rolled off her cot and went downstairs. The book on Ragnarok was still open on the desk. She took the book and began to read. Throughout the night she learned of many theories on Ragnarok and the world's end. Ragnarok is portrayed as weapons (such as swords or spears) or an entity like a dragon that required summoning. One thing she realized was that Ragnarok was not really an uncontrollable thing. Ragnarok was simply a tool. But, who would want to bring the world to an end?

She fell asleep at the desk and awoke the next morning more tired than she was last night. Her dreams had been of burning lands and the perpetual darkness of the Void. When Shadow came down, he told her to go upstairs and nap whilst he go searching for the day. Rainbow happily obliged.

A loud knocking awoke Rainbow from her sleep. She sluggishly rose from her cot and half stumbled down the stairs. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and opened the door.

"Hello?" she asked, blinking in the noon light.

Before her stood a yellow unicorn with a green mane and red eyes. Rainbow saw that his cutie mark was a clock. He dipped his head in welcome. "Is this Shadow Flare's house?" he asked.

Rainbow nodded, "Yeah, but he's not here right now. He's out and about somewhere. Are you looking for a book?"

He seemed to consider before saying, "Yes, I need a book called _Relics and Artifacts_."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Okay. I'll see if he has it."

She went inside and searched the shelves for the book. She assumed it'd be under some reference shelf. However, she couldn't find the book anywhere. Maybe Shadow didn't have it. The unicorn peeked inside and said, "May I?"

"Be my guest," Rainbow replied flatly.

The yellow stallion stepped in and located the book within a few seconds. He nodded and made his way to the exit.

"Wait!" said Rainbow. The unicorn stopped in the doorway and looked back. "Who should I tell Shadow borrowed the book?"

"Chrono," he said and left, closing the door behind him.

"Chrono, huh?" she said to herself. "The name sounds like something I've heard before." She had no idea why the name struck like that. Maybe it was because she usually recognized the words in a pony's name, with a couple exceptions.

Rainbow located an enormous dictionary, and flipped through the C's until she found Chronos, the closest thing to Chrono.

_Chronos- n. (origin: Latin) the Greek word for time._

Rainbow was now a tad bit suspicious. It just seemed too coincidental that somepony with 'time' written all over him would show up in this time paradox of her own. Either that or she was extremely paranoid. Reluctantly, she admitted that the latter was more likely. She just had to get her mind off time travel and the end of the world for a while. Instinctively, she made her way to the Darane-Do books. She was surprised to find at least twenty new books in the series. This'd keep her occupied for a while. She grabbed a few of the books and took them to her cot.

A few hours passed and she was halfway through the book when the door opened downstairs. She got up and peered over the edge of the balcony to the main room below. Dash was down there searching through the shelves. She obviously didn't find what she was looking for because she turned around and gave a snort.

The door opened once more and another pony stepped in. It was Chrono. Rainbow resisted the urge to lean in closer to get a better view. But she couldn't risk being seen. "Who are you?" Dash asked.

"I'm Chrono," he said, seemingly not surprised that this Rainbow Dash didn't recognize him. That made Rainbow a bit worried.

Dash shook her head. "Never heard of you. You new here? Has Pinkie Pie thrown you a welcome party yet?"

"Listen. I know you have a problem. And I am here to help you," he said in a way that made one think of a snake.

"I don't have a problem! What makes you think that? You don't even know me!" Dash threw back.

"Oh, I beg to differ," said the yellow unicorn, "I know you very well indeed."

"Really? How?" Dash asked. Rainbow was curious, too.

"It matters not how," he said mischievously. "I came for you. Now, I know you want Rainbow gone."

"What! I don't want Rainbow gone! She's just like me! And how do you even know about her?"

"Come on. There's only room for one Rainbow Dash here. Am I right? What if she begins to best you at everything? What if your friends begin to like her more than you? Even if you left, they wouldn't even miss you because they have a different, better you."

"That's a lie! My friends would never replace me!"

"Really? What about Shadow Flare? I know how much you care for him. But now he hardly ever sees you because of how busy he is with the Past Rainbow Dash."

Dash looked down at her hooves. Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why was Chrono trying to turn Dash against her? She should stop it, but she couldn't give herself away now.

"What do you suppose I do?" Dash asked.

"Prove yourself. If you show how powerful you can be, others will certainly be drawn to you. Make this make your mark on the world. But, you have to keep her from going back."

"What?" asked Dash, a bit confused. "I thought that was the goal."

"If you have more opportunities to make yourself look better, you will gain in popularity. You may become more sensational than even the Wonderbolts."

"More sensation al than… the Wonderbolts?" she asked.

"Yes! I can help you. And together we will send you to the top!" said Chrono.

Dash looked the yellow unicorn up and down, "What exactly are you getting out of this?"

"Let's just say I have a few days to pass until I have to leave. Anyways, I'll meet you at your house tomorrow. We can begin discussing plans."

Rainbow inched back until she was at her cot again. What was going on? Why was Chrono trying to turn Dash against her? What was Chrono planning?


	11. Friends

_Chapter 11- Friends_

Rainbow walked with Shadow through the center of town. She wore the cloak and her watch hung around her neck. Shadow Flare had returned late last night. He had searched the entire remaining perimeter of Ponyville. The two ponies decided that it may be easier to ask around for clues.

Rainbow had not told Shadow of the events that occurred the night before. As they walked, she tried to find a way to bring the subject up. However, it was rather confusing to her as it was. How would she ever explain it to him?

"You rest up good last night?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah, I guess," was Rainbow's reply.

Silence again. There was no way to ease into this. She would just have to be outright with it.

"Something bad is going on," she began. Shadow gazed at her with a curious look. "There was this unicorn named Chrono visiting the library yesterday. I don't know why, but I instantly sensed something strange about him. Then, later, Dash showed up looking for a book and Chrono showed up again. He was trying to persuade her to turn against me. He's planning to do something. And now Dash wants to prove that she's better than me."

"Okay. Why didn't you tell me last night?" asked Shadow.

"I don't know. The pressure of all this is overwhelming. I just want to go home and forget all this."

She caught a hurt look cross Shadow's face, but it was gone before she could say anything.

"HAY GUYS!" yowled an ecstatic voice behind them.

Rainbow and Shadow turned to face Pinkie Pie.

"What's up you guys? Are you doing anything fun? I love your new cloak Dashie. Where'd you get it? Did Rarity give it to you?" Pinkie Pie barraged them with an onslaught of questions.

"Pinkie, have you seen a smooth, white stone with my cutie mark carved on it?" Rainbow asked.

"Nope. Wait! Uh, yeah. No. I've never seen a stone like that," Pinkie answered confusingly. "Why? Lose it or something? I bet you could make another easily."

"That's fine Pinkie. Thanks anyways," Shadow said.

"Okie dokie lokie then. I'll let you know if I find it," she said as she bounced off. Rainbow and Shadow both turned and walked off.

They walked in silence and asked a few passing ponies if they'd come across anything. Nopony claimed to have seen the stone before.

"How ya'll doin'?" called Applejack. She was walking down the street with a wagon filled with apples. "I've come to town to sell some fresh apples from Sweet Apple Acres. Care for a bite?"

"No thanks, AJ. We're looking for a certain stone. Perhaps you've seen it? It's white and has my cutie mark engraved in it," said Rainbow.

Applejack shook her head. "Ain't seen a stone like that before. Why? Surely a stone like that is easy to replace."

"Well," said Rainbow, "I'm not gonna lie. But you'd never believe me if I told you the truth."

"Try me," said Applejack stubbornly.

Shadow butted in, "Listen Applejack. It's probably best if you didn't know this. It is rather hard to believe but the truth could cause more trouble than it's worth."

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Well I trust your judgment Shadow, but if something funky starts up, I'm looking for you two." With that, she cantered past the two ponies.

"Man, I wish I didn't have to see Applejack like that," said Rainbow glumly.

"It will all be okay. You'll see. Soon enough, you will be back in your own time, and everything will be fine," Shadow encouraged.

"I sure hope so. I've never been so scared and nervous my entire life. I used to be able to stand up to anything without fear. But the end of the world? That's a bit more than I can handle," she admitted.

Shadow sighed, "It's been tough for me, too. Not a second goes by without me imagining how it's all gonna end. I can't sleep without nightmares of death and destruction haunting me. But one thing has made it all bearable."

"What?" said Rainbow, "If you say it's me, I'll punch you right in the nose." They laughed at that.

"I'm sorry, but it is you. I've never really talked to anypony much, let alone made a friend. But, these past three days, I feel more comfortable knowing you're around. I never knew how much it'd help to have a friend. In that way, I don't want you to go back. Even if it did mean the end of the world."

Rainbow smiled, "I know what you mean. Having a friend does ease the pain of having problems. But you'll have more friends. And what about Dash?"

Shadow shook his head. "It's not the same. As weird as it sounds, I see both of you as separate beings. You have qualities Dash doesn't have, like being yourself."

"Hold up. I've always been myself. I may hide it when I'm scared or have a problem sometimes, but I've always been me," Rainbow objected.

"I'm sorry to say this, but since Dash joined the Wonderbolts two years ago, she seems to think she's superior to everypony. She talks down to ponies a lot. If only she realized that it's not the title earning her respect but herself, she'd be a bit more likable. The only ones she really treats with much respect anymore are me, her old friends, and Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah. They've been like sisters since as long as I can remember. Whenever Dash isn't busy with the Wonderbolts or her friends, she's usually with the young pegasus."

"Really?" said Rainbow. Something was clicking in her head.

"What is it?" asked Shadow.

"I think I know where to find the Fate Stone."


	12. Losing to Darkness

_Chapter 12- Losing to Darkness_

Rainbow and Shadow trekked along the path determinedly. At the end of the street floated a house made of clouds. The house belonged to Rainbow Dash.

"Do you really think Scootaloo gave the stone to Dash?" asked Shadow.

"I'm positive. If they hang out as much as you say, surely Scoots would've returned the stone to me. Well, the other me," Rainbow replied.

Shadow cast a sideways glance at her. "You don't know if Scootaloo even _found _the stone. We can't just waltz into Dash's place and demand the stone back if she doesn't have it."

Rainbow sighed. "You're right. We should probably ask Scoots if she's seen the stone."

The black unicorn nodded in approval. "So," Rainbow said, "Where does the young mare live nowadays?"

"I think she has a house on the west side of town. It isn't too far," he said, nodding in the direction of the setting sun.

As the two ponies walked side by side, Rainbow slipped into deep thought. After today, only nine days remained until the world would be destroyed. She sighed. Why did everything have to be life or death? Why couldn't everypony walk through life without having to worry about what would happen if you made one false step? Life always had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected it. Rainbow just wanted to wake up and realize it was all a dream. But, it wasn't. She was here, in the future, facing the end of the world.

"Rainbow," Shadow said, jerking her away from her thoughts. "We're here."

They stood before a cottage with a feel of peace and serenity. It didn't seem to fit with Scootaloo's daredevilish ways.

"Are you sure this is it? It doesn't exactly fit Scootaloo," Rainbow asked.

Shadow shrugged. "I think the place was once owned by an old lady. Scootaloo only recently moved in. She probably hasn't had time to renovate yet."

The explanation sounded plausible enough to Rainbow. With that, she cantered up to the door and gave it a solid knock. Rainbow stood back and waited for somepony to answer. After a few seconds, the door opened and an orange pegasus peered out. Scootaloo instantly smiled. "Rainbow Dash! It's good to see you! I see you brought Shadow. Please, come on in."

Rainbow and Shadow filed in behind Scootaloo. The walls inside were lined with shelves filled with trophies and awards. There were also many pictures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or whatever they called themselves now, hanging on the walls.

"So," Scootaloo started, "What brings you two here on this fine evening?" She plopped onto a particularly soft-looking couch and gazed expectantly at them.

"We're looking for a stone. You remember, about three days ago, when you found me sleeping on that cloud? I think I left my stone on it. And we've been searching everywhere for it. Have you seen it?" Rainbow quickly explained.

Scootaloo's eyes brightened. "Oh! Do you mean this stone?" Scoots pulled out a small white stone with Rainbow's cutie mark on it. Rainbow nearly yelped in delight at having finally found the stone.

"Thank you!" Rainbow said ecstatically. She reached for the stone then stopped. She turned to see Shadow gazing at her. He was smiling but there was a sad look in his eyes.

"And thank you, Shadow," she said with an air of finality.

"I'll miss you," he replied.

Scoots gave Rainbow a puzzled look. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Shadow will explain later," she said. Rainbow then took the Fate Stone from Scootaloo's hooves and placed it on the ground. She took a deep breath before crouching next to it.

"Stop right there!" the command ripped across the room.

Rainbow glanced up to see Dash standing in the doorway. However, something was different about her. The colors of her vibrant pelt were now dulled and slightly gray. Dash stalked across the room and halted right in front of Rainbow.

"And where do you think you're going?" she growled at the pegasus.

"I'm going back!" Rainbow yowled, "Dash, you know what'll happen if I stay here!"

"I do," she said menacingly, "But who said the end was all bad?"

Before she knew what was happening, Rainbow was thrown against a wall. Trophies clattered around her as she struggled to stand again. Dash loomed over her and pinned Rainbow down by the shoulders.

"Who's the better pony now, huh?" Dash snarled. Rainbow struggled to get up, but Dash was overpowering her. Dash shook her head and raised a hoof. Rainbow hadn't even the time to yell before the hoof met the side of her face. She tasted blood in her mouth as she glanced up again, gazing defiantly at her future self.

Dash released her and walked back across the room to the stone. "Well then," she said, "I guess you'll need a few days to recover. Guess you won't be checking out early." Dash smirked and raised her front hooves. Rainbow watched in horror as she brought them down directly on the stone, shattering it into dust.


	13. Hopeless

_Chapter 13- Hopeless_

Rainbow blinked open her eyes to see morning light streaming through a window. She was lying on the couch in Scootaloo's living room, a blanket draped over her. She didn't remember going to sleep. She didn't even remember anything after Dash destroyed the stone.

Rainbow sighed. How could Dash do this to her? Even more importantly, how would she get home? Rainbow was stuck here, ten years in the future, with doomsday nine days away. She sunk her head back to the pillow and stared at the ceiling. She didn't want to think about the end of time anymore. She didn't really want to think at all. But the undeniable truth lurked at the edge of her mind like a dark cloud, waiting to unleash its fury. Why did this have to happen to her?

A solitary tear slid down her cheek. It was overwhelming. The fate of the entire world rested in her hooves and the only hope she had clung to was snatched away from her. What could she do now? She missed her old friends. She missed Pinkie's over-ecstatic view of life, and Rarity's over-exaggerated reactions. She missed Applejack's playful banter, and Twilight's boring lectures. She even missed Fluttershy and how she would suddenly grow bold when it really counted. But what Rainbow really missed was how simple all that was. It made her miss the days when nothing exiting was happening and her only worry was finding something to do. That was what she wanted now, more than anything in the world.

"How are you feeling?" said Scootaloo from the other side of the living room.

"Hopeless," replied Rainbow, still staring at the ceiling.

Scootaloo nodded sympathetically. "I know the feeling," said the orange mare. "When me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were looking for our cutie marks, we tried everything. No matter what, we couldn't find our special talent. I thought we were doomed to be blank-flanks forever. But we never gave up. And neither should you."

Rainbow shook her head and turned to gaze at the pegasus. "This is totally different, Scoots. You see, I came from…"

"… The past. I know. Shadow told me everything. And if you don't go back the world might be destroyed. I know it must be hard, but just sitting here doing nothing isn't going to work. Come on! We should go outside and enjoy today. Just forget about it all for a while. Sometimes, you have to take a break, even from saving the world. Nopony accomplished anything wearing themselves out." Scootaloo trotted up to the couch and pulled Rainbow to her feet. Rainbow reached for her hood and watch, but Scootaloo stopped her. "It's okay. You don't have to hide today. Dash is supposed to train with the Wonderbolts all day. You can be yourself." Rainbow nodded in appreciation and left the disguise behind.

Together, they left the cottage and strolled outside. The sky was clear and Celestia's sun shone brilliantly with morning light. The day reminded her of the day she left her time. Was that really only four days ago? So much had happened since her arrival that the days inched by at an agonizing pace. She shook her head to clear it. She wasn't going to let her thoughts trouble her today.

"What do you do now, Scoots?" Rainbow asked mostly to distract herself.

"Well, I do stunts and things along those lines. I do daredevil shows from time to time, but I mostly just apply my skills where I can," she replied.

"That's cool," said Rainbow.

"What is it like, seeing the future? Is it weird? I mean, I know it has to be scary since the world might end, but besides that," the orange pegasus queried.

"Well," said the cyan pony after considering for a moment, "It feels the same in some ways, but in others, it is totally different. Like you. I didn't even recognize you when you found me on that cloud."

Scootaloo smiled as realization dawned on her, "So that _wasn't_ Dash. I knew something was off about you. Guess I'm a little slow to catch on." She flicked her magenta mane and giggled.

Rainbow grinned. "So, where to?" she asked.

"Let's go to Fluttershy's place. She has a new pet you'd probably like," Scoots suggested.

Rainbow shrugged, "I don't know. It doesn't sound all that exciting."

Scootaloo gave Rainbow a sly grin. "That's because you don't know what it is."

"Well, if you insist," the blue pegasus conceded.

Scootaloo merrily led Rainbow across Ponyville to Fluttershy's cottage beside the Everfree Forest. The place hadn't changed in the slightest over the ten years Rainbow had skipped. Scootaloo cantered up and rapped on the door a couple times. The door creaked open and Fluttershy timidly peeked out.

"Hello?" Fluttershy asked in a measly fashion.

"Hey Flutter!" Scoots greeted. "I wanted to show Rainbow that new animal you found."

Fluttershy perked up. "You mean Dapple? Oh, yes! Please, come in!"

Once Rainbow and Scootaloo came in and made themselves comfortable, Fluttershy called, "Come here, Dapple! Come here, girl! Some friends want to meet you!"

Rainbow watched the staircase as something came slinking down. Scootaloo bounced excitedly as the animal came into view. Before the three pegasi stood a lithe, elegant cheetah.

"Wow!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Where in the wide world of Equestria did you find her, Fluttershy?" She flew in a circle around the wildcat. Dapple watched her without moving in a curious, but friendly way.

"I found her near in a field not far from here. Poor thing had sprained her ankle in a gopher hole. I brought her here and made her all better. Now, she can run as fast as ever," Fluttershy answered.

"Can I race her? That'd be so awesome!" Rainbow asked excitedly.

"Of course you can," said Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus and Scootaloo exchanged glances and smiled as if something unspoken had gone between them; as if they were hiding something.

"What?" Rainbow asked. Surely, _these _two couldn't be plotting against her.

"Nothing, nothing," said Scootaloo quickly, glancing around guiltily.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "Okay then," she said slowly. She knew something was up, and she planned to get to the bottom of it. However, there would be time enough for that later. Today was her day to get her mind off suspicions and looming threats.

She led Dapple out of Fluttershy's house and instantly, the lithe animal tore off.

"HEY!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Catch her, Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted.

Rainbow zoomed after the wildcat at full speed. Just when she was about to catch the animal, Dapple sharply veered towards town. Rainbow corrected her course and followed suit. Dapple ripped through crowds of busy townsfolk, leaving Rainbow to duck and dodge the alarmed pedestrians. She would lose the cheetah for a second only to see a glimpse of her glossy pelt. Then, she would be lost from sight again. Rainbow followed the creature around Ponyville until she was exhausted and getting frustrated.

She slumped against the wall of a building to catch her breath. As she leaned there, she spotted Dapple making a run for the opposite side of town. Rainbow quickly gathered herself up, and shot like a bullet after it. Dapple bolted over the hills outside town and into the countryside. Rainbow chased it all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, where she saw the tip of the cat's tail whisk into the barn. Rainbow grinned. The cheetah would be trapped inside.

Rainbow crept into the entrance of the dark building. Suddenly, lights illuminated everywhere, momentarily blinding her. "SURPRISE!" howled a chorus of voices. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could make out the shapes of seven ponies and party decorations.

Rainbow laughed. "Wow! I am surprised!" she said, "What's all this for?" She could now see clearly. Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Shadow Flare, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and even Twilight was there. Dapple was also lying on the ground, panting.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to her, "It's a 'Get your mind off of the depressing' slash 'Welcome to the Future' party. Shadow Flare planned it all. He told us about you coming to the future and how the world's gonna end and how Dash became a giant meanie and how your rock was broken into a bazillion pieces and…" Rarity jabbed the pink pony in the side. Pinkie giggled guiltily, "Hehe. And how we were supposed to get your mind off of all that."

Applejack trotted up to Rainbow. "Don't you mind her none. You know how she is," the orange earth pony apologized for Pinkie.

Rainbow smiled, "Thanks guys. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Actually, you should really be thanking Shadow," said Queen Twilight, "He's the one who came up with the idea. I guess he's finally taking my advice to make friends."

Shadow Flare shrugged and stared scuffed his hooves across the floor. "I-it was nothing," he said modestly.

"Well thank you anyways for the wonderful surprise," said Rainbow. Shadow smiled but said nothing.

"Come on guys! Let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie yowled.

It was a classic Pinkie Party. They played outrageous games, ate mountains of food, and danced for hours on end. It was dark when the friends were finally calming down.

"So Twilight?" Rainbow asked, "When did you become queen?"

Twilight took a sip of punch before answering. "Well, a year ago, Celestia and Luna disappeared. I tried contacting them but could never reach them. They simply never came back. So, since Cadence is busy taking care of the Crystal Empire, I took charge over Canterlot. I even had to learn how to raise the sun and moon."

"Wow. Did you try to get Spike to send a letter to them?"

"No, he grew up and went to live somewhere else. He simply couldn't stay in the castle with his huge size, nor could he live nearby because of all the smoke when he snores. We still write each other often enough though. However, he is currently two years into a five year nap."

"Geez. I knew the guy liked sleeping but five years is a tad bit excessive isn't it?"

Twilight shrugged, "Not for a dragon."

"What do you think happened to the princesses? Do you think Discord is behind it?"

"No. Discord is reformed, remember?"

"Call him what you may, but I still don't trust him," Rainbow said with a flick of her tail.

"Darling," Rarity joined the conversation, "Discord has helped us a lot the past ten years and not once did he make pull anything more than a harmless prank. If he was going to do something, wouldn't he have done so before even that next year was up?"

"I guess," said Rainbow.

Twilight smiled and said, "They'll return soon enough. I know they will. They've been here since the foundation of Equestria. There will be a day when they return."

"Yeah. You're right, as usual. Becoming a queen sure didn't change that."

Twilight nodded, "Well, I have a busy day tomorrow. I should probably be going. Visit any time you want."

"Okay. I'll do that," said Rainbow. Fluttershy soon left with Dapple and, one by one, the other ponies followed until it was just Rainbow, Shadow Flare, and Applejack.

"I'll be up cleaning all night," Applejack grumbled to herself.

"I'm sorry but we should be going now," Rainbow said.

Applejack nodded, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

With that, Rainbow and Shadow left. They walked side by side through the starlit night.

"It sure is beautiful out here," Rainbow said.

"I agree," replied Shadow.

"Thank you for the wonderful day."

Shadow laughed, "Hey. I said it was nothing. I just got the people together. Pinkie's the one who threw the party."

Rainbow smiled, "Whatever you say."

"So where are you staying tonight?" he asked.

Rainbow considered for a moment. "I feel safer at the library. Plus, Scootaloo's place will just keep reminding me of the shattered stone."

"Sounds good," Shadow said.

Rainbow halted in her tracks. "I almost forgot! My cloak and stopwatch are still at Scootaloo's."

"Oh, should I go with you?" Shadow offered.

Rainbow shook her head, "That's fine. I'll meet you back at the library soon."

Shadow shrugged, "Suit yourself." He continued walking along the path and Rainbow flew in the direction of Scootaloo's house.

The night suddenly grew colder around her. The sky grew darker. What was going on?

"This time you've gone too far," a menacing voice said.

"Who's there?" Rainbow asked, fighting panic.

"You think you can just waltz here into _my_ time and steal my friends. I was always loyal to them and now you are turning them against me!"

"Dash?"

"No. Because of you, I am not who I once was. I am Dark Rainbow!" A flash of lightning illuminated the pegasus. She had black fur, her mane was dark grey, and her eyes were deep red.

"I don't care what Chrono says!" Dash yowled, "I'm gonna get rid of you if it's the last thing I do!" The black pegasus lunged at Rainbow. She now knew it was a mistake to come alone.


	14. The Dark Side of the Rainbow

_Chapter 14- The Dark Side of the Rainbow_

Rainbow and Dash plummeted from the sky. Dash had her hooves wrapped around Rainbow's neck, cutting her breath. She struggled in vain to free herself of the black pegasus' grasp, but the lack of oxygen was draining her strength.

Two pegasi slammed into the ground, Dash landing on Rainbow, driving whatever air was left in her lungs out. Dash scrambled to her hooves. Rainbow took the moment's delay to take a breath. Dash kicked Rainbow in the face with her hind hooves.

Stars danced in Rainbow's vision as she landed on her back. She was on the verge of tears. She had never been so relentlessly tortured. Rainbow was so weak from the attacks, she couldn't defend herself. Her very body shook from the shock of it all.

Dash loomed over her and slammed her hooves into Rainbow's ribs and stood there with all her weight. Her ribs were cracking under the pressure. She clenched her eyes shut as the tears began to stream down her face.

"Please… stop," she whimpered weakly. Rain began to spatter around her as if the sky was crying with her.

Dash brought her face down near Rainbow's. Her red eyes sparked with rage.

"In a mere four days, you have taken _everything _from me. Because of you, my friends despise me. Everyone I knew thinks you are better. I am supposed to represent loyalty! But what's the point if no one is loyal to you? Why bother? Chrono was right about my friends. They replaced me with _you_! But he was wrong about letting you stay here. If I can't have my friends, you can't either. In _either _time!"

Dash raised her hoof in preparation to break Rainbow's neck. Rainbow knew that she was at her limit. One last blow would be the end of her. The tears now flowed freely down her face. She should've accepted Shadow's offer. No, she should've listened to Twilight. If she had just gotten rid of the stone, she wouldn't even have dreamed of this. Now, she was going to die because of her mistake.

"Stop!" a stallion's voice called through the rain.

Dash halted. Rainbow tried to breathe a sigh of relief, but Dash's weight was still crushing her. Had Shadow followed her anyways? Happiness swelled in her heart.

"What are _you _doing here?" Dash spat.

"To stop you from ruining everything. If you kill her, her spirit will return to her time and our time will resume its normal flow. If that happens, what will become of our master plan?"

Rainbow's relief quickly fled. That was not Shadow. She didn't even need to guess who it was. Who else could it be?

"Fine," Dash grunted and stepped off of her foe. Rainbow instantly inhaled massive gulps of air. When she recovered, she climbed unsteadily to her hooves. Rainbow faced the newcomer. Sure enough, wearing a metal helm and a watch around his neck, it was Chrono. He gazed at her with his red gaze.

"Come on," he said to Dash, "Let's go. You'll have all the time in the world to get revenge after I'm done with her."

Dash didn't reply, but instead cast a loathing glare at Rainbow. "Your day is coming," she promised. Chrono cast a teleportation spell and then Rainbow was alone.

The bloodied pegasus didn't know what to do. She couldn't move, she could hardly breathe, and she couldn't think straight. So, she lied down, dimly aware of the rain pouring around her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Rainbow wasn't even sure who she was sorry to. Twilight? Shadow? Maybe even Dash. All she knew for sure was that there was nothing she could do to change her mistakes. For what felt like the millionth time she felt tears welling in her eyes. At least the rain would cover them this time. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep's cold, yet gentle embrace.


	15. Dreams of a Dying Pegasus

_Chapter 15- Dreams of a Dying Pegasus_

"Rainbow?"

Rainbow was roused by somepony calling her name. She blinked her eyes in the bright sunlight. Lifting her head, she sought out the one who had called to her. A smile spread across her face when she saw Shadow racing towards her.

"Are you okay," he asked her breathlessly.

"I think so," Rainbow replied trying to stand. She stumbled a bit, but managed to right herself. Tentatively, she tested her legs. Satisfied that they were in proper working condition, she turned to face Shadow Flare.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she confirmed.

Shadow looked her over, concern evident in his gaze. "You're all bruised up, and there are bloodstains on your pelt. What happened?"

"I ran into Dash. She attacked me before I reached Scootaloo's house. It was awful. She actually tried to kill me!" No sooner had the words left her mouth, than she realized that she hadn't tried to embellish the story by saying she had fought back or some such. What had happened to her pride? She had changed since she had come here. What did that mean?

Shadow didn't seem to notice. He was still fussing over her wounds. "I think you should go to the hospital. Some of these injuries look severe."

"I'll go later; I still need to get my stuff from Scoots." Rainbow began to walk slowly down the path. As she walked, a fiery pain lanced through her chest. She staggered to the ground and coughed heavily and thin stream of blood seeped from between her lips.

"Rainbow! You shouldn't be moving! I'll get a taxi or something! Just stay there," he exclaimed. Shadow ran off in the direction of town.

The cyan pegasus lie there in the middle of the path helplessly. The sun warmed her flank and a cool breeze whispered through her mane, lulling her to sleep. When she awoke, many ponies were hauling her on a stretcher through wide, white halls. Was she already in the hospital? She didn't even notice them carrying her here. They brought her into a one-pony room filled with a bunch of medical instruments she couldn't even be bothered to identify.

The ponies set her down on the bed in the center of the room. They all left hastily, leaving her alone. At least, Rainbow thought she was alone until Shadow spoke.

"You are in worse condition than I thought," he said. "Apparently, Dash broke your ribs and it punctured one of your lungs. They say you were lucky to survive through the night. I'm worried about you."

Rainbow had to smile at his sentiment. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "I've been through too much to leave now. Besides, there's the whole rest of my life waiting for me back in my time."

Shadow gazed into her eyes. "I pray to Celestia that you're right."

Just then, a couple of nurses bustled into the room and shooed Shadow away. The nurses began running tests and such, but Rainbow hardly noticed. It wasn't long before sleep claimed her once more.

Rainbow jerked awake to see the room dark around her. Tubes ran from her forelegs and into her nostrils. The only light in the room emanated from the screen of the heart monitor beside her. She rested her head against the pillow and gazed at the dark ceiling. Then the door creaked open, letting light spill into the room.

"How are you, Rainbow?" said the pony, stepping in.

"I feel okay as long as I don't breathe too deeply," she replied.

"You're gonna survive, Rainbow. You have a greater destiny than you would ever imagine."

Rainbow glanced at the silhouette of the pony. "What?"

"Just remember, the key to the future often lies hidden in the past," the pony turned to open the door.

"Wait! Who are you?" Rainbow asked.

The pony turned her head just slightly enough so that her features were visible in the hallway light. The dark blue of her pelt was unmistakable. It was Princess Luna.

Rainbow was shocked. Hadn't Twilight told her that they disappeared mysteriously a year ago? "How are you here? I thought you and Celestia had disappeared," Rainbow asked.

Luna laughed, "This is but a dream, dear child. We are in realm beyond the boundaries of time. We were banished by a dark force and await the day we can return. That all depends on you."

With that, Princess Luna shimmered and faded before Rainbow's eyes. She woke from her dream, pre-dawn light filtering through the window. Princess Luna had visited her dreams! But what was she supposed to do? There was no way she could bring the princesses back. She couldn't even figure out how to get herself back in time. Now, even more problems rested on her shoulders. All Rainbow wanted was to escape this place and realize it was all a bad dream. But no matter how much she willed it, she couldn't wake up. This was not a dream. This was as real as reality gets.


	16. A Rekindled Flame

_Chapter 16- A Rekindled Flame_

Rainbow didn't even bother trying to go back to sleep. Instead, she lied there, gazing out the window as the sun unfurled its golden wings and soared into the sky. She wished that she could be like the sun. Soaring across beautiful cloudscapes and shedding her light across the land below just seemed like it'd be so peaceful. But, the entire world relies on the sun. Just like the entire world now relied on Rainbow returning to her own time.

A doctor stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him, tearing Rainbow from her thoughts.

"Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?" he asked.

Rainbow shrugged, "I don't know. Alright, I guess."

The doctor nodded and went to the computer positioned beside the heart monitor. He gazed at the screen intently for a few minutes. Then he gasped in alarm.

"No! It's not possible!"

Rainbow's heart sunk. What did that mean? Did something get infected? Was she not going to heal properly?

"Am I going to die?" she asked, fearing for the worst.

The doctor turned to her. He shook his head and smiled. "No, no. Quite the opposite, really. You have made a miraculous recovery! Not a single thing is wrong! I can't explain it! Celestia must be watching over you."

"Really?" Rainbow asked, disbelievingly. The doctor nodded and puzzled over the medical equipment. Rainbow took a deep breath. There wasn't even the slightest hint of pain. She then took one of her hooves and pressed lightly on her ribs. Nothing. It was true. She was better. _Thank you, Luna,_ she said in her mind.

The doctor shook his head. "Well, everything is in order. You are free to leave." He disconnected all the tubes and wires from her body and sent Rainbow on her way.

Once out of the hospital, Rainbow breathed long and deep. The cool summer breeze was refreshing. All around her, life was evident. Birdsong filled the air and trees rustled in the wind. Rainbow had hardly taken notice of such simple things. She had been in such a constant state of worry since the beginning that the rest just kind of blurred into the background. It showed her that this time wasn't so dark and oppressive after all, that life would go on. Rainbow was sure of it. There were no "ifs" about it. She would rescue this time and all would return to how it was supposed to be.

Rainbow turned onto the dirt trail that led through Ponyville and made tracks for Shadow's library. Once she approached the tree-shaped building, she gave the door a solid knock. Before long, the door opened and Shadow peered out.

"Rainbow? You're here how… when…" Shadow stuttered as he gazed at her affectionately.

"Princess Luna came to me in a dream last night. I think she healed me," Rainbow boasted, her old vigor beginning to resurface. "Apparently, I am still too important to die."

"I'm glad to hear it!" Shadow replied, gleefully. "Come on inside. Scootaloo showed up this morning trying to find you."

Rainbow hardly took two steps inside before the orange pegasus ran up to her and threw her hooves around her neck. "I'm so glad you're okay!" said Scootaloo.

Rainbow smiled sympathetically. "Hey now. Don't be like that. This Rainbow Dash you're talking about. I'll be okay no matter what happens. Ain't nothing gonna stop me! I will save this place. I promise." And she knew it to be true. She was going to save this world or die trying.

"Oh!" exclaimed Scoots, "I almost forgot! I brought your stuff over from my place. I figured I would bring it here to you, but then Flare told me what had happened and I was so worried…" Tears began to well in the young mares eyes again.

"Come on, squirt. Everything's A-Okay, now," Rainbow assured. She embraced Scootaloo with her wings in a supportive hug.

When they separated, Scoots dashed upstairs, returning with the watch. Rainbow gazed at her, puzzled.

"You could've left it up there, you know," Rainbow said.

Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I want you to look at it," she prompted, holding the watch out to the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow took it in her hoof and opened it. The hands glided slowly as it ticked off the days toward the End of Time. There were only seven days left. Rainbow sighed heavily.

"We need to do something," Rainbow said, lashing her multicolored tail. She searched her mind for the faintest idea, but found none. She stomped her hoof on the ground angrily. "I wish there was another Fate Stone!"

Wait a second. There _was_ another Fate Stone, wasn't there? Starswirl had had two failed Fate Stone experiments. At least, that's what it had said in that book.

"I've got it!" Rainbow exclaimed. Shadow and Scootaloo snapped their gazes in her direction. "There is another stone! It said so in _Relics and Artifacts_! Maybe we can find a clue as to where it might be by using that book."

"Really?" Shadow asked, "You think so?"

Rainbow shot him a contemptuous glance. "It's the best idea we've got."

Shadow shrugged and walked to the bookshelf. Rainbow watched as he scanned the shelves once, then twice. He turned and shook his head. "It's not here. Do you think somepony may have borrowed it?"

"I don't kn…" she stopped midsentence. A memory flashed through her head; a yellow stallion with a green mane and red eyes requesting a certain book. She sunk to the floor. Why did everything have to be so screwed up?

"Somepony did take the book," said Rainbow, "It was Chrono."


	17. Thieves

_Chapter 17- Thieves_

The light left Shadow's and Scootaloo's eyes as realization set in. Just when a spark of hope appeared, it was instantly snatched away. Rainbow still lie on the floor with her ears drooping. She stared blankly ahead, subdued.

"Why would Chrono want that book?" Scootaloo asked.

"Obvious. Either to stop us from finding a clue to locating the other stone, or to use it in a design of his own," Rainbow replied, straining to keep her bitter disappointment from showing in her voice. Letting out a sigh, she rested he chin on the floor.

Shadow glanced at the two of them. "A better, more useful, question would be: where would he keep it?" he stated.

Rainbow lifted her head from the ground, ears pricked. Up until this point, she had never wondered where Chrono was staying. In fact, most of her antagonism had been directed at Dash. She knew Chrono was up to something in the background but Dash seemed to be an immediate threat. Was that just a distraction set up by Chrono? Rainbow's mind flashed back to the day when Chrono had found Dash in the library. An eerie thought wormed its way into her mind. Had Chrono known she was there? It was becoming clear to her that Chrono was a greater threat than she had previously thought. Rainbow was also willing to bet he had staged the attacks by Dash. Well, at least the one at Scootaloo's house. She had to keep him from summoning Ragnarok, for that was surely his goal. All signs pointed towards that. It was the way he said in the library, "Let's just say I have a few days to pass until I have to leave," and when Dash had attacked her the night before last when he said, "If you kill her, her spirit will return to her time and our time will resume its normal flow. If that happens, what will become of our master plan?" It was all coming together. He was in control. He held all the cards. That is, unless they could find that book.

"I think I have an idea as to where to find it," said Scootaloo, interrupting Rainbow's thoughts. Rainbow and Shadow looked at her, both wearing surprised expressions on their faces. She was the last one Rainbow would think to have any clue pertaining to the book's location.

"You see," the orange mare stated, "I've crossed paths with Dash every now and again. And, nine times out of ten, she's walking with Chrono. I think he might be staying at her house."

Shadow shook his head. "No, that wouldn't work. Only pegasi can walk on clouds, and Dash's place is made of clouds."

"But," Scoots argued, "Chrono is a unicorn. He probably knows a spell that allows him to walk on clouds. I've seen him do some pretty high level magic. I mean, I don't know much about magic levels or anything like that but some of the stuff he does is really impressive, if not creepy."

"You've seen him using magic? What kind of spells did he do?" Shadow queried. Rainbow wondered if he was annoyed for her not telling them sooner. She knew she was. However, she would keep her mouth closed, not wanting to discourage the young pegasus.

"Well, he does teleportation a bit. He knows how to conjure fire and stuff. But weirdest is when he manipulates time. I've seen him slow it and speed it up. One time I think he stopped it because he had Dash throw this spear at him but as it was flying it vanished and appeared, snapped in half at Dash's hooves."

Shadow's eyes widened. "This is bad. Manipulating time is indeed a very high level spell." As he spoke he began to pace. "I've only been training under Twilight for a few months. This may interfere with my plan."

Rainbow rose from the floor and looked at him. "A plan?" she asked, wanting further explanation.

Shadow matched her gaze. "Yes. If Chrono is indeed staying with Dash, we need to have a plan to get in, right? Well, I was thinking of using an invisibility spell so we could sneak in and steal it that way, but if he's as powerful as Scoots says, he might easily see through the spell. I'm not even that great at the spell to begin with."

"So what do you suggest? Rainbow asked.

"What about a distraction?" Scootaloo butted in.

"That's not a bad idea," Shadow agreed.

Rainbow pondered out loud, "What kind of distraction would we use?"

"Maybe we could make a dummy?" Scoots suggested.

"I don't know. That may not work. It wouldn't be able to distract them for long," Shadow gently rejected the idea. Scootaloo deflated a bit, nonetheless.

An idea struck Rainbows mind. "Shadow, do you know how to do good illusion spells?"

He glanced at her. "I think so. Why?"

Rainbow chuckled mischievously. "Alright. Here's what we'll do."

It was high noon as the three ponies came to a halt in front of Dash's house. The plan was simple. Shadow would hide and create an illusionary Rainbow Dash to lure Chrono and Dash away. Meanwhile, the real Rainbow and Scootaloo would sneak in, find the book and leave. If Chrono and Dash returned, Shadow would give a warning, giving the two pegasi a chance at escape.

Shadow took refuge in a tree with broad leaves that concealed him thoroughly, yet gave him a clear view of the road for quite a distance. Rainbow and Scootaloo hid among bushes nearer to the building. A close-to-exact replica of Rainbow shimmered into view, hovering above the ground. Now, it was time for action.

"Hey Dash!" Rainbow yowled, "You and Chrono come out here! We have something to discuss!"

They waited a moment. Nothing happened.

"Come out now! We'll settle this once and for all! Mare to mare!"

Again nothing. Rainbow would have to try a different tactic. She glanced at the tree where Shadow was hidden. From what she knew, Dash had a crush on him. That may be used against her.

"You know what? I think Shadow likes me more than you!" Rainbow couldn't believe what she was about to say next. "And what's more, I think he would rather you go back in time instead of me so we can be together forever!" The illusion flickered for a moment. Rainbow cringed. She didn't want to shatter Shadow's focus.

There was a loud clang from the cloudy building. A black pegasus shot out of the building, stopping only to spot Rainbow. Or rather, the illusion Rainbow. "You!" Dash spat loathingly. She darted towards the phantasmal pegasus, and the illusion flapped away.

"Wait! Dash! Don't let her provoke you like this!" Chrono shouted appearing from a doorway. Seeming to realize Dash hadn't heard, he teleported himself away in pursuit.

"Now!" Rainbow whispered to Scootaloo.

The two pegasi flew up to the airborne house, entering without hesitation. They split up and began to search for the book. Rainbow checked all the places she would keep a valuable item like that. After searching through two rooms she came upon a room she hadn't been in in a while: the guest room. She opened the door and gasped. Many pictures hung from the walls. Arrows pointed from one picture to another, little notes written and pinned up. It looked like a tangled web. However, at the end of the web was a picture of a dragon. _Ragnarok_. So she was right. That was his ultimate goal.

Rainbow shook her head and returned to the search. She noticed the helmet and watch Chrono had worn the night she was attacked by Dash lying on the bed. Here and there were strewn papers and a couple items were in the drawers. However, there was no book.

Rainbow left the room and turned to the last room in the hall: her room. She opened it and was relieved to see little had changed. It was a little unkempt but it was easy to navigate the room. She flew to the one place she could think of to hide a book in here. In the nightstand, there was a drawer with a secret compartment in the bottom. Rainbow found the compartment and gazed inside. Sure enough, the book was sitting in the bottom. She lifted the book from its hiding spot and turned to fly out.

However, in the doorway stood Dark Rainbow Dash. Her red eyes sparked with rage. She wore an expression of pure fury and hatred.

"Oh, you think you're real funny, don't you?" Dash spat venomously. "You would use the one thing I used to care about and use it against me? Well it's my turn. I may not be able to kill you but you'd be surprised what you can live through!"

"Come at me then!" Rainbow challenged. She wasn't going to let herself be beaten senseless this time.

Dash was caught off guard. "Oh, you seem to have regained your old _recklessness_. This ought to be interesting!" Dash flew forward hooves outstretched. Rainbow ducked under her attacker and bolted out the door, fast as lightning. She weaved her way through the hallways and was outside quickly, Dash on her tail. The cyan pegasus flew as quickly to town as possible, that would be the only place to hide. Dash was only a few yards behind her and gaining.

"You can't run forever, _Rainbow_," Dash threatened.

Rainbow turned her head, "Ha! Neither can you! You keep this pace for long! I _am _a full ten years younger than you!" Rainbow knew that her goading had worked. She was right on Rainbow's tail. Now it was time for Rainbow's true escape. Picking up speed she felt energy crackle around her. The sound barrier was bending in front of her. Just a little more speed and…

BOOOOM! Blinding light mixed with the deafening sonic boom threw Dash off course. She spiraled and crashed into the ground. "Yes!" Rainbow cheered victoriously. The Sonic Rainboom had succeeded! She flew around the corner of a building and rested in the shade to catch her breath.

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow turned to see Dash standing there, wings in tatters, a strand of blood coming from her mouth. Her face was contorted in rage. Rainbow was dumbfounded. How had she found her so quickly?

"I'm sick of you and your meddling! Get out of my time!" Dash drew a knife and hurled it at Rainbow. Rainbow clenched eyes shut and tried to duck, knowing that the knife was going to hit her. She braced for the pain she was about to experience.

It took a few seconds to realize that the knife should have struck her already. She opened one of her eyes, spotting the knife in midair, mere inches from her muzzle. She stood and backed away from the weapon. Dash stood perfectly still, not blinking, not breathing.

"Go," said a voice calmly behind her. It was Chrono. She noticed the aura around his horn. He was using his magic to stop time.

"Why would you save me?" Rainbow asked him.

"You are still my most valuable tool," he replied plainly.

Rainbow didn't press further. She gathered the book in her hooves and quickly flew off in the direction of the library. She noticed time began to flow normally again. She made it away unscathed this time, but Dash's rage was building like a furious storm. Rainbow only wished she would get home before that storm finally broke.


	18. The Hidden Stone

_Chapter 18- The Hidden Stone_

Rainbow burst through the door of the library, chest heaving. Shadow and Scootaloo's gazes snapped to her, wearing shocked expressions. Scootaloo flung herself at Rainbow, embracing her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she said.

Rainbow laughed. "Isn't this the exact same thing you did the last time I walked in here?"

Scoots also laughed at that. "Yeah. But maybe I wouldn't have to if you would stop yourself in so much trouble!"

"What a relief!" Shadow said, approaching the two pegasi. "I was so worried."

Scootaloo snickered, "Literally! I had to block his path from going back when he realized you weren't behind us! Thank Celestia he hasn't mastered that teleportation spell!" Shadow cast her a harsh look and nudged her shoulder with his hoof.

"You tried to save me?" she asked Shadow. "You actually tried to save me?" She took a step closer to him.

Shadow Flare stuttered a bit, "I-I… well, um… maybe. Yes… but, um… I know you can take care of yourself, but I thought…" Then he faltered.

Rainbow was surprised. Did Shadow think she was mad at him for trying? That was the furthest thing from her mind. She was ecstatic that he had tried to go back to help her.

"Shadow," she said, "Thank you."

He glanced up at her, surprise flashing in his eyes. They stood there gazing at each other for several moments.

"Ooh!" said Scootaloo, "Rainbow and Shadow sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Both Rainbow and Shadow flare shot her smoldering glares. She gave a weak laugh and shrunk into her pelt.

"You know?" said Rainbow, "I don't think you've grown at all since I saw you in Ponyville ten years ago."

"What? Hey!" Scootaloo stood straight, pelt bristling, glaring defiantly. Rainbow and Shadow laughed. Scootaloo cracked up as well. They laughed together for a few minutes.

Shadow said, "Alright, alright everypony. Let's settle down." They sat down, and got comfortable.

"So," Shadow began, "What's the new plan? The last one didn't work out and they're sure to keep a lookout now."

"Um," said Rainbow, "It wasn't a failure. I have the book right here." She brought forth the book, slightly dusty from its rough journey back to the library.

"You got it!? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Shadow exclaimed.

"Because _somepony _decided it would be more fun to joke around!" Rainbow joked, giving Scootaloo a playful shove.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Read it," said Scootaloo, rather impatiently.

"Honestly Scoots! You may look like a full grown mare but there is no way you've grown at all intellectually since we last saw each other in my time," Rainbow said, in an exasperated voice.

"Well, I learned from the best!" Scoots shot back.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, "Is that an insult?"

"To Dash, maybe!" Scootaloo and Rainbow laughed.

Shadow broke in. "I'm glad you two are having fun, but we seriously need to get down to business." He seized the book using his magic and opened it to the chapter about Fate Stones, then began to read aloud.

"Starswirl the Bearded was a gifted unicorn. He created many spells and creations. One of the most notable of these creations is the Fate Stone. He originally made it so that anypony could see his or her future. But he couldn't get the spell right…"

"Can you skip ahead? I've already read all of this," Rainbow interrupted.

"Sorry, but I want to make sure to cover everything," was Shadow's reply.

Rainbow sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position as he continued, "He attempted to make a working Fate Stone but his attempts met with failure. After the second stone was created, he gave up. Starswirl thought the stones were too dangerous as it was and hid the two he had created. His failed experiments ended up bearing stones that transported the user into the future. There were two problems with this..."

Rainbow sat up straighter this was the part she had skipped when she had read it. She listened intently as he read the very warnings she should have read herself.

"The first was that, in the event of a time traveling, time itself can be disturbed. It is rumored that when time becomes disturbed, it can trigger the right conditions for a mysterious apocalyptic force, known as Ragnarok, to be summoned. The purpose of Ragnarok is to send the world to the Void to make room for a new world at the End of Times. Essentially, the End of Times will create a disturbance in the flow of time. Since a time-traveler is still a part of the time they came from, going into another time can also cause a disturbance in that time's flow, causing Ragnarok to mistake that disturbance for the End of Times disturbance.

"The second problem rests within the timeline and disturbances themselves. When one travels time against their predestined fate, it causes a Temporal Distortion, or a break in the timeline, causing an entirely new timeline to appear. However, this Temporal Distortion will sometimes manifest into creatures known as Fallen. According to some of Starswirl's findings, a Fallen will have a clock imbedded in their chests. The reason for this is unknown. However, there is one exception to this phenomenon. Occasionally, the Temporal Distortion may go erratic and create a different type of Fallen. These Fallen look, act, and think like every other pony out in Equestria. Starswirl dubbed these ponies 'the Tempest'. There is no way to tell if a pony is actually a Tempest. There has only been one Tempest in recorded history. During the first Fate Stone's test, Starswirl the bearded accidently went into the past, before Celestia and Luna's rise to power. He found a way to correct the timeline with the help of a pony who was never supposed to exist. When he returned to his time, he tried to bring this Tempest with him but he faded away with the elimination of the Temporal Distortion."

"As interesting as all this is, I don't think it's helping us find the other Fate Stone," Scootaloo pointed out blithely.

Shadow shrugged. "If we read further we may come across something."

"Wait," said Rainbow, "I think I might know where to find it."

Scootaloo turned to face her. "You do? I'm utterly lost."

"Of course you would be," Rainbow joked. Shadow snickered and Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Please, elaborate, oh great, all-knowing Rainbow Dash," Scoots retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Luna's words rang through her mind as she reflected upon the tale. "The key to the future often lies hidden in the past. You see, I think this Tempest that helped Starswirl was a close friend of his. It's possible he created the second Fate Stone to bring him forward in time."

Scootaloo flicked her magenta colored mane. "That would explain the reason he created two failed experiments. However, that doesn't help us in locating the Stone."

"Ah, there you are wrong!" Rainbow said ecstatically as the pieces fell into place in her mind. "You see, when he returned and the Tempest faded, Starswirl didn't destroy the Fate Stones. He hid them instead. That is probably because he wanted another Temporal Distortion to meet with his friend again."

Scootaloo and Shadow wore blank expressions. "And?" Scoots pressed.

"The fact that the stones were still here suggests that he probably died before getting the chance to use it again. And where was he living at the time of his death?"

Shadow's eyes widened as realization struck him. "Canterlot Castle…" he whispered.

"How did you… I mean, how did you know… When did you have the time to figure that out?" Scootaloo stammered, dumbfounded.

"I'm fast in other ways than physically," Rainbow boasted.

"So, tomorrow we go to Canterlot?" Scootaloo asked.

"To Canterlot," Rainbow agreed.

"I'll set up a force field. Dash and Chrono are starting to get a little bit creepy; it's making me a little paranoid," Shadow announced, pulling a spell book from a nearby bookcase.

"Shadow, do you mind if I stay here tonight? I'm not a huge fan of sleeping all alone back at my place with all this going on," Scoots asked.

"Sure," Shadow said, half distracted as he searched for the spell. "I'll sleep downstairs. Give you ladies a little space."

"Ladies?" Rainbow asked.

Shadow looked up from the book. "What? You prefer to be called 'guys' or 'dudes'? I was only trying to be respectful."

"We aren't the most lady-like mares you'll ever meet, but I guess you can call us that," said Scoots.

"Whatever makes you happy," said Shadow, returning to his book.

Rainbow and Scootaloo laughed quietly amongst themselves as they trotted up the stairs. Rainbow reflected the night in her head as they crawled into the beds. Although, she had had a rough morning, the night was quite something to be admired. She had friends here: Scootaloo and Shadow Flare. It made her wish she didn't have to go back. She wanted to be here with her newfound friends. If it wasn't for the sake of the world, Rainbow could easily have a future here. She and Shadow would sit together…

What was that? That wasn't Rainbow talking. She didn't get all sappy over some stallion. And certainly not one she had only known for a week! She was supposed to be strong, and not need others like she had been since she was small. Had she really changed that much in seven days? She pushed the thoughts from her head. She would need to get some sleep for tomorrow's journey.

Rainbow was dreaming again. She stood in a wide chamber, resembling that of a castle's throne room. All around her were pipes spewing spurts of steam, gears whirring, and chains clanking. Though, there was the slight background noise, it was eerily quiet.

Rainbow was so absorbed in her surroundings that she had almost missed the centerpiece of the room. It was a grand throne. It was heavily adorned with gears and carvings, but what stood out the most was the clock embedded high on the back. The enormous clock went to thirteen, and was counting down, just like Rainbow's watch.

Then her vision drifted to either side of the throne. Celestia and Luna stood to each side of the grand seat. Their eyes were closed, and they spoke not a word.


	19. The Path of the Fallen

_Chapter 19- The Path of the Fallen_

Rainbow Dash stepped onto the train behind Shadow Flare and Scootaloo. There were only a few passengers in their car. The three took a seat near the back.

Rainbow had hardly sat down when the train started forward. As the train picked up speed Rainbow gazed out the window. The trees and fields began to blur together as they gained momentum. This was how time felt to her. It began to go by faster and faster until it was hard to focus on any particular thing. She sighed heavily, turning her attention to the inside of the train.

Scootaloo shifted in a rather impatient looking way. She caught Rainbow's eye and asked, "How long is this ride."

Rainbow pondered for a minute before answering. She had taken this trip several times. "I'd say about three hours. Although, I remember one time, the train had to take a detour. That was the day the Cakes were entering in that dessert contest. It took all night to get there."

Scoots' eyes grew wide. "Well, I hope to Celestia we don't have to take a detour! It's already going to take long enough!"

"We'll be there before you know it," she reassured the orange pegasus pony.

Rainbow stretched her feathery wings. They felt tight as she pulled on them. Since arriving to the future, she'd been flying around less than she used too. Maybe the overall attitude of seriousness was weighing her down. That was something she would have to change. Her wings needed daily exercise and she was slacking off a bit. Just because she had a world to save didn't mean she should put aside her health. There would be time enough to walk around when she grew old.

Shadow Flare, who was sitting in the seat across from the pegasi, watched as she stretched. "What are wings like? I mean, do they feel weird?"

Rainbow paused from her routine. "Not really. We pegasi are born with them, it feel no different than a tail or a leg. Much in the same way you're born with a horn."

An unreadable emotion seemed to cross Shadow's features, but it passed as quickly as it had come. "Yeah. I guess it would be like that."

Rainbow folded her wings neatly to her side and settled deeper into her seat. It would be a while before they reached Canterlot; she may as well get a bit more sleep. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift into sleep.

"And who might you be?"

"I am nameless, soulless. I don't even know if I even exist."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you wouldn't, _princess_. You belong in this world. I belong to nothing!"

"Guards get rid of him!"

"Oh, you won't get rid of me."

"Sister! Warn Princess Twilight of this dangerous pony!"

"Oh, it's not her I want. It's you two!"

"What? What are you doing? What are you…"

Silence.

Rainbow woke with a jolt. What were those voices in her dream? Who were the ponies talking? She shook her head. Ever since Luna visited her dreams, they've been getting more and more bizarre. Why couldn't her dreams be normal? As if her waking world wasn't hard enough to believe already.

Then the train stopped abruptly, making her lurch forward. Shadow gazed around, alarmed. The book he had been reading fell to the floor. Scoots also wore an expression of dazed confusion and anxiety. Then the screams sounded from the front cars. Rainbow pricked her ears in worry. What was going on up there?

Suddenly, then screams came to an abrupt halt. The air chilled and the sky itself grew dark. Rainbow could see her breath billowing in front of her. The door at the front of the coach slowly opened. Rainbow gasped. The creature that stood in the doorway was in the general shape of an alicorn, but could not be described as one any further than that. It was a creature made from shadows. She could actually see the wisps of darkness floating off the creature's body. The eyes were orbs of blue light. But the creature's most unusual feature was the clock embedded in its chest.

"A Fallen…" she whispered. Scootaloo whimpered beside her and sunk below the back of the seat in front of her in an attempt to hide from the Fallen's view.

"Mama, I'm scared," came a filly's fear-stricken whimper from further up the car.

The shadowy creature turned its crystalline blue gaze toward the young foal. It spread its shadowy wings, darkening the coach even more. The clock in its chest began to whirl and an aura began to surround its horn. Maybe it was an hour, maybe it was a split second; but before anypony knew what had happened, everything went back to normal. The train was moving as if it had never stopped and the sky shone with full morning light. It was easy to think it had just been her imagination. However, a chill still lingered in the air, and everypony was silent with either horror or shock. The only sound came from a weeping mare, crying for her missing daughter…


	20. Fear of the Darkness

_Chapter 20- Fear of the Darkness_

"You may enter," said a guard.

The three ponies stepped between the two massive wooden doors that led into Queen Twilight's audience chamber. The lavender alicorn was seated on the throne that was once occupied by Princess Celestia. She lifted her purple gaze to her approaching subjects.

"Ah, Shadow. I did not expect your arrival. Is something wrong in Ponyville?" the Queen asked. Then her eyes darted to Rainbow Dash. A worried look crept into her eyes. "She still hasn't returned to her time. Isn't there any way for her to get back?"

"There is. That's why we have come here," said Shadow replied to his mentor.

Twilight Sparkle cocked her head. "Really? I've searched the libraries for time spells. The trouble is that they're all temporary. I've also looked up alternative time travel methods, but came up empty-hoofed. What could I have over-looked?"

"Rainbow knew of this book called _Relics and Artifacts_. We read up on the Fate Stones and found something that suggested that Starswirl had a second Fate Stone. When he hid it, he died before having the chance to use it. He died when he was living here in Canterlot Castle," Shadow explained.

Twilight pondered for a moment. "So, you're saying that the Fate Stone may be hidden in the castle? This place is really big, it could be anywhere."

"Maybe," Rainbow spoke up, "Starswirl hid it among his personal belongings. He obviously found the artifact dangerous. I doubt he would hide it where anypony could stumble upon it."

"You may be correct, Rainbow. However, most of his stuff is on display in his former room. There certainly wasn't a Fate Stone among his collection of relics. At least not that I saw."

"It may be disguised," Scootaloo suggested, "If he's as great a wizard as everypony claims, I wouldn't put it past his ability to cast a spell to make one thing look like another."

"Alright, I'm convinced," said Twilight. "Come on, let me take you to his old bedroom."

Together, the ponies marched out of the audience chamber and into the corridor Rainbow hovering alongside the group. They trotted through so many hallways and passages that, before long, Rainbow was hopelessly lost.

"So, has Dash improved on her attitude since last we met?" the purple mare asked Rainbow.

"No. She's… changed. And not for the better. She doesn't even look like me anymore. I don't bother with the cloak disguise much anymore. The deranged pegasus tried to kill me! Twice! I've come far too close to death for comfort because of her," Rainbow replied, cringing at the bitter memories.

"She even _looks _different? How so?"

"Her pelt and mane has gone pitch black and her irises around her eyes are red. I'm not sure how it's even possible but it happened."

"Hmm," said Twilight. "It sounds kind of like the time all of us faced off against Discord. When we stopped being true to ourselves, we all turned grey. Has she gone so far past her true self that she's turned into the _opposite_ of her true self?"

Rainbow was a bit confused. "I thought Discord had made us the opposite of ourselves back then. We didn't change to black."

"Discord only made us behave the opposite of ourselves," Twilight explained. "Deep down we were still ourselves. I think Dash may have changed who she actually _is_."

Though understanding slightly better, she was still pretty much confused by the whole idea. The ponies lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Twilight navigated the twisting hallways with ease, the other three blindly following her lead. Eventually, they stopped at a well adorned door. A sign hung from the front of it, reading: _Starswirl the Bearded_.

The room inside was neat and homey. A bed was nestled in one corner beside an elaborately carved wardrobe. A telescope was set up at the window. Nearby was a desk that was probably, long ago, piled high with papers and notes. There was also a wall lined with glass display cases. In the cases were all sorts of trinkets, tools, and oddities. Rainbow scanned through the cases, looking for anything that resembled the small white stone that had brought her here.

"What was in this?" Scootaloo asked from the end of one of the display. Twilight cantered up to the display the orange mare had indicated, Rainbow close behind. The glass had been shattered and the shelf inside was empty.

"I believe that contained Starswirl's stopwatches. He had two of them. One of them was a normal watch one would wear around their neck. The other one was silver and wouldn't open. There was this slip of paper attached to it that said something like: 'Will not open unless end draws near'. At least, that's what I think it said. It was stolen about a year ago, right around the time the princesses went missing," Twilight responded.

Rainbow stood rigid for a second. Could it be? "Did the watch look like this?" Rainbow showed Twilight the watch that had appeared in the library on her first day. She had been wearing it around her neck but Twilight obviously hadn't noticed until Rainbow pointed it out.

Twilight looked at the watch. "How did you get this?" the purple pony asked incredulously.

"It appeared out of nowhere on the desk in Shadow's library. It came with a note telling me that the end was near, signed by Ragnarok."

"Really?" She opened the watch and gazed inside. There were only six days left. The alicorn queen swiftly snapped the watch shut and handed back to Rainbow.

"So that's what it was. And, do you think the other one was…"

Shadow turned to look at his mentor. "Are you suggesting the other watch was actually the Fate Stone?"

Twilight nodded. An icy chill swept over Rainbow. Now what where they supposed to do? Once again the stone had eluded them.

At first, Rainbow had thought the chill was simply her own dark realization of the truth. But then the other ponies shivered a bit. The light around them began to grow dim. No. Not again. A black mist rose from the ground and began to coalesce in front of them. Rainbow was frozen with terror as the Fallen materialized right in front of her. Up close, she could tell it was taller than she had originally thought; probably rivaling Celestia's height.

"RUN!" shouted Shadow Flare.

The Fallen let out a demented shriek and bolted after them. The four ponies darted out of the room and into the vast maze of hallways. Though Rainbow, Scootaloo and Twilight all flew, they had to slow down to allow Shadow to keep up on hoof. The Fallen had no trouble keeping up with them.

The ponies rounded the corner and suddenly stopped. It was a dead end. The four doors on either side of the hall were all locked. The Fallen found that they were trapped and advanced slowly.

"Stay back!" Twilight Sparkle ordered the others. As they obeyed, an aura began to surround her horn. As the spell gathered power, the aura grew brighter until Rainbow had to shield her eyes to keep from going blind. Suddenly, Twilight released the spell. A ray of pure, concentrated light shot at the shadow horse. The Fallen roared in agony as it dissipated into nothingness.

Twilight sank to the ground, unconscious. Shadow Flare and Scootaloo raced to the queen's side, but Rainbow stayed where she was. She was gazing at the spot where the Fallen had once stood. The shadows began to rise once more from the ground. Only, this time they weren't shadows. The fog was white, like mist. The vapors came together into a solid form. It was a green filly with a pink mane. Rainbow recognized her. It was the same filly that disappeared on the train.


	21. Ruin

_Chapter 21- Ruin_

"Hello there," said Rainbow Dash to the green filly. She looked at the pegasus with frightened, sky-blue eyes.

"It's alright," Rainbow comforted. "We're not going to hurt you." She took a step forward, but the filly shrunk away.

"I'm Rainbow Dash. What's your name?"

The filly hesitantly opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, but closed it again without saying anything.

"Come on, Rainbow. She's probably traumatized after… whatever it is that happened to her on the train," said Scootaloo who was helping hoist Queen Twilight's unconscious body onto Shadow Flare's shoulders.

"I guess so," she said, conceding to her efforts.

Once Twilight was situated they began a trek through the winding hallways. The green filly followed a ways behind the others. But, she was following. That was good. It meant she at least halfway trusted them.

Shadow Flare must've been through here quite a few times as they had only gotten turned around once before reaching the more familiar parts of the castle. The ponies approached the door of the throne room. The guards, seeing Twilight, let them through without question. Shadow marched Twilight through the audience chamber and rested her at the foot of throne.

"Shouldn't we put her in her bed or something?" Scootaloo asked.

Shadow shrugged. "I don't know where her bedroom is."

"You could ask somepony," said Rainbow sarcastically.

"Actually," Shadow shot back, "_nopony _knows where it is. It's a closely guarded secret that only her elite guards know. It was a precaution she took when the other princesses disappeared a year ago. The logic being, nopony could come and attack her in her sleep."

"Oh," said Rainbow, feeling a bit awkward at being wrong. She didn't like being wrong.

"Wait. She's the _queen_?"

The Rainbow, Shadow, and Scoots all turned to see the green filly, wide-eyed with wonder.

"Yeah," said Scoots, "And she saved your life."

"She _did_?" she asked, her voice soaked with awe.

"Yes. The queen killed that monster and you appeared," said Rainbow. A dark expression crossed the young filly's face. She shrunk to the ground, shivering.

"You okay, little one?" Shadow asked.

The green filly shook her head. "Th-the monster t-took me away from my mama when we on the train. I-it t-t-took me to this p-place where there was n-no light. Th-there wasn't any l-light or sound or-or anything. J-Just blackness every direction. I-I was so scared," she stuttered, shivering violently. A tear ran down her cheek.

"There, there," said Scootaloo, "It'll be alright." She keeled next to the filly and wrapped her wings around her. The filly hugged her and began to sob.

"We'll find your mother," said Rainbow. The filly turned and gazed at Rainbow through Scoot's sunset feathers. She looked thankful.

"Ugh…" came a voice from the throne behind them. Twilight blinked open her eyes and glanced around, as if she wasn't quite sure where she was. "What happened? Did I get it?" She began to struggle to her hooves, stumbling.

"Careful," Shadow warned, "You should just rest. That spell must've been extremely draining. Oh, and yes. The beast has been slain."

Twilight sighed and sunk back to the floor, obviously too exhausted to try and haul herself onto the throne. "Who is that?" she asked.

"We don't know her name," said Rainbow. "She appeared when you defeated the Fallen. She's the same one that was abducted when we were attacked by the Fallen on the train."

"You were attacked? Why didn't you tell me? I need to know these things," Twilight said. Even though the queen was looking at Rainbow, she knew the lavender alicorn's words were directed to her pupil. He must've realized too, as he held his head down the way one might after being admonished.

"So, what is your name?" Twilight addressed the green and pink filly.

"I'm Jade," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Jade. I'm Queen Twilight Sparkle. Now what's your mother's name?"

"Her name is Rose. She's pale with a red mane and green eyes."

Twilight nodded. "I've heard of her. She's nice. Don't worry Jade. You'll be back at home with your mother before you know it."

Jade beamed at the queen then let out an enormous yawn.

"I guess it's time for you to go to bed, little one," said Twilight, "It's getting rather dark outside. Scootaloo, will you accompany Jade to the guest rooms? The guards will point you in the right direction."

Scoots nodded, then turned to leave with Jade. "Now," said Twilight, climbing into her throne, "We have some things to discuss."

"Yes," agreed Shadow. "It happened on our ride here this morning. We were on the train to Canterlot when the temperature began to drop. Then we heard screaming. It came into our car, heard Jade speak, and then teleported away, taking her with it."

"Anything else?" Twilight demanded. Both ponies shook their heads in response.

"Well, then there isn't much reason to fear it any more, now is there? But there's one thing I don't understand. Where did Jade go? And why did she come back after we defeated the Fallen?"

"There is one idea that comes to mind," said Rainbow. "As I've been reading, I've been hearing a lot about this obscure place called, the Void. I don't know where it is, or what it is, really. The books don't have much information on it."

"The Void, huh?" the lilac queen pondered.

"I wish there was more to go off of," Shadow stated. "It seems like when we get close to the answer, it slips further away."

"I wish Celestia and Luna were still alive," said Twilight, "They would know what to do."

Rainbow looked at the forlorn queen. She sighed. She knew she would sound crazy saying this, but she had to comfort her queen… no, her friend. "The princesses aren't dead. They are still alive."

She looked at the blue pegasus quizzically. "I saw them in a dream. Luna came to me when I was dying and healed me. She also left me with a weird phrase: the key to the future often lies hidden in the past. I saw her again with Celestia on either side of this eerie throne."

"Really? I can't believe it! All this time I've been worrying and they've been alive and well!" Twilight exclaimed, wings fluttering in excitement.

"Actually, I'm not sure if they're all that well," Rainbow stated, a little guilty at having to bring the queen's spirits down. "You see, Luna said that they were banished to a realm beyond time by some dark force and await the day they can return. And that all depends on me…"

"Oh," said Twilight. "But hey. It's enough to know they're alive."

A heavy silence followed for the next few minutes. It was broken by Shadow. "So, what are we going to do about that Fate Stone?"

"If the watch was indeed the Fate Stone, then it could be anywhere in Equestria by now. A lot can happen in a year," said Twilight.

Rainbow thought hard. Where could the artifact be? That's when an image popped into her head.

_The key to the future often lies hidden in the past…_

It was a dark and stormy night. Rainbow was bleeding to death on the ground as rain fell around her. Then Chrono appeared to stop Dash from striking the final blow. He was wearing a helmet and…

"…a golden watch," Rainbow whispered to herself. She turned to the other two ponies, who were discussing other, rather unlikely possibilities.

"I know where to find it!" said Rainbow.

"Well, let's hear it," said Shadow, "Your clairvoyance has yet to fail us!"

"Chrono has it. He always seems to be holding all the cards. He probably knows we came out here to search for the Fate Stone, so he'll be expecting us to come back searching for him."

"So, what do you suggest?" asked Shadow, running a hoof through his scarlet mane.

"What else? Find that time-twisting bozo and teach him a lesson!"

"What if it's a trap?" the black unicorn asked.

"Of course it's a trap!" said Rainbow, "But no mouse ever got the cheese without setting off the trap."

"Are you sure, Rainbow?" There was worry in Shadow's green eyes.

"Of course. You and me make a great team! Together with Scootaloo, we are unstoppable!"

"I hope you're right, Rainbow Dash."

"I guess you'll be leaving soon," said Twilight. "Feel free to stay the night. Ask the guards, and they'll tell you where Scootaloo and Jade are staying."

"Thank you," said Shadow, bowing his head. Rainbow imitated his gesture and followed him out of the room.

It was not long before they had reached the room where Scootaloo and Jade were curled up, asleep on the same bed. Rainbow climbed into the second bed and Shadow found some spare blankets and set up a sleeping place on the floor.

An hour had gone by when Rainbow realized she couldn't sleep. She got out of bed and crept out of the room. She navigated her way through the few hallways that led to the exit of the extravagant castle. Once outside, Rainbow took a deep breath. The starscape above her stretched far and wide, ruled by a brilliant crescent moon. This whole adventure was beginning to wear her out. She wanted to go home, yet she had begun to grow attached to this time. She wished she could go back to where she belonged, but have Shadow with her. It was crazy, she knew, but she wanted him to be there. He was a friend she could trust. Even though he didn't speak much, there always seemed to be something going on behind those brilliant green eyes. It was funny that, despite their differing personalities, they could be so close. It was a connection she shared with very few. Yet, when she left, Rainbow would never see him again.

"Why is life so unfair?" she asked the moon. There was no reply. The white crescent simply kept casting its silvery aura onto the land of Equestria.

That's when she saw it. A dark figure crept along the shadowed streets outside the castle. Rainbow followed the pony as quietly as possible. The figure trotted down the street heading towards a building Rainbow knew all too well. It was the tower in which the Elements of Harmony were kept. Since the princesses had entrusted the Elements to Twilight ten years ago, the purple alicorn probably would've returned them upon moving to Canterlot Castle. The Elements of Harmony were the weapon that defended Equestria from destruction. Rainbow and five of her other friends used them to keep the evil at bay many times before her departure. Each of them represented an Element: Twilight, the Element of Magic; Applejack, the Element of Honesty; Rarity, the Element of Generosity; Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness; Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter; and Rainbow, the Element of Loyalty. Without these Elements, harmony in Equestria could easily be shattered. That's why Rainbow had to follow this intruder.

The mysterious pony entered the building, leaving the door cracked open behind her. Rainbow followed the figure inside. The inside of the building was dark; no light could be seen. Except for the place where the five Elements were shining on their pedestals. The sixth Element was in Twilight's crown so it was never kept down here. Suddenly, one of the five lights vanished.

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted into the darkness.

Rainbow felt the intruder rush past her with incredible speed. The pony stood in the doorway to the building. The light of the moon revealed the features of the black pegasus that antagonized Rainbow the most, now wearing the Element of Loyalty around her neck.

"Good night," Dash said with a smirk.

The doors crashed shut, leaving Rainbow in inky black darkness. She fumbled around the room until she located the door. Locked from the outside. Rainbow was trapped. The cyan pegasus hung her head. Dash was not going to stop torturing her until she either died or left was she? But what the most disturbing was that what had originally been a lie was now true. All of Dash's friends did reject her in favor of Rainbow. Had Chrono somehow known that was going to happen? Did he plan for it to happen? Either way, Rainbow knew Chrono was the real enemy here, not Dash. It almost made her sorry for her future self. Almost. Dash would have to be dealt with sooner or later. But Chrono? He was a monster that wished for the end of the world for no apparent reason. He had to be stopped first.

Rainbow curled up on the ground and closed her eyes. If she left and time was set straight again, what would happen to Chrono and Dash? What would happen to Shadow Flare? Would it be as if she had never been there? The thought that Shadow wouldn't remember her hurt worse than any torture Dash could inflict upon her. She blocked out all of her thoughts until sleep claimed her once more.


	22. Anxieties

_Chapter 22- Anxieties_

The yellow stallion was gazing at Rainbow, his red eyes burning into her magenta ones. A helm covered his bright green mane, and the golden watch hung around his neck. It was as if he were mocking her.

There was no room around them; simply darkness. Chrono stepped closer to Rainbow until their snouts nearly touched. Rainbow simply stood there, gazing right into his eyes. However, where she would've normally seen a soul, all she could see was an empty void.

"There is so very much you don't know about me," he said. Rainbow said nothing.

"Why do you meddle in the affairs of those you do not even understand? I am just like any other pony; well, almost." Chrono walked around the blue pegasus as he spoke. "We all have our differences, but some of us don't really belong here." He came back into her sightline and stared once more into her eyes. "Like you," he finished.

Rainbow had nothing to say. She knew she didn't belong in this time. But, if Chrono knew, why didn't he just let her go back? Why did he want to end the world? "Why not just give me the Fate Stone and let me leave then? If I don't belong, why are you so intent on keeping me here?"

The yellow unicorn smirked. "I need you to stay in order to summon Ragnarok. Then we will belong, all of us."

"You don't make any sense! How will ending the world make anypony belong anywhere?" Rainbow shouted.

"You understand so little," he said, laughing quietly to himself. Chrono turned and walked away into the shadows, leaving Rainbow alone in utter darkness.

"Rainbow? Rainbow!"

The sound of Shadow Flare's voice roused Rainbow from her sleep. The door was open, spilling fresh sunlight into the corridor. Shadow kneeled next to her. "Are you alright? What happened?"

How many times had she met Shadow in this panicked manner now? Twice? Three times? It didn't matter. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to keep up with this constant sense of urgency. Couldn't she have at least one more normal night? Rainbow sighed at stood up.

At first, she was shocked to find her legs streaked with deep red. Then she realized it was only sunlight streaming through one of the many stained-glass windows surrounding the chamber. Rainbow looked up at the window. The design upon it was one that rather intrigued her. She knew the windows were magic; that they shifted designs, often showing various prophecies and revelations. However, this design made no sense. It showed a picture of Rainbow Dash in three places: one with herself, her silver stopwatch around her neck; her as Dash, black with tattered wings and red irises; and one of her with a white mane and tail, yet still young. Even her rainbow colored cutie mark was white. She knew the first two Rainbow Dashes were herself and Dash, but who was the third incarnation? Rainbow wasn't even sure if she wanted to find out.

"Rainbow?" Shadow asked. Rainbow realized she still hadn't responded to his earlier question.

"I'm fine," she answered without looking away from the stained-glass window. Rainbow could feel the concern coming off of him in waves, yet he didn't give voice to his worries. She finally pried her eyes from the image, replacing it with his iridescent green eyes. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I just went for a midnight walk and got locked in here." She decided she would mention Dash to the queen later. Mentioning Dash to Shadow now would only double his worries. What he needed was some peace of mind for a while.

A smile spread across his visage. "How'd you manage to do that?" he asked, jokingly.

"Guess I locked it by accident." Rainbow didn't like lying. Especially to somepony she was so close to. But if it brought him peace, then it would be worth it, wouldn't it? She would deal with it later.

"Come on. Let's go. Twilight, Scootaloo, and I have been searching for you all morning. Even Jade helped in the search," he said. The black unicorn led her out of the chamber.

When they reached the throne room, Rainbow was immediately worried over. They hugged her and thanked Celestia that she was alright. She was sick of this kind of attention. Rainbow was a strong pegasus, the fastest flier in Equestria, and even managed to keep herself alive against all odds. If she was going to get attention, she wanted it because of her strengths, not her weaknesses. She was thankful when a yellow pegasus with a flame-colored mane erupted into the room, wrenching the attention from Rainbow in a split-second.

It was Spitfire, the commander of the Wonderbolts. She hovered in the air, panting heavily before gaining enough strength to breathe. "Something… is attacking… Ponyville." She took a minute to let her breath catch up. "No, not something. Many somethings. They are abducting ponies left and right! We need your help!"

"What are they?" Twilight asked, alarm evident in her voice.

"Shadowy creatures. They have clocks in their chests and blue eyes; the stuff of nightmares," Spitfire sunk to the ground in exhaustion. Rainbow caught her eye.

"Hey," said the yellow pegasus, "Rainbow Dash? Why haven't you been showing up for flight practice? It's almost been a week now. Miss too many more sessions and we'll be forced to kick you off the Wonderbolts. It'd be a shame, too. All those years down the drain…" Spitfire lapsed into silence, and she fell asleep.

"Shadow Flare," Queen Twilight summoned her student. "You, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo go to Ponyville immediately. I trust you'll come up with something to at least hold off the attacks of the Fallen. Jade will stay here with me."

"What?" Rainbow interjected as an unexpected wave of anger swept over her. "Are you seriously about to pin the responsibility of Ponyville on us? What changed in you between yesterday and today? What kind of queen does that?" Too much responsibility had been placed on Rainbow's shoulders. She didn't need any more. Any more pressure would break her.

"That's not why I'm sending you," said Twilight. "I am sending you because there's nopony else to turn to. You have figured out so much since you arrived eight days ago. If you three can't figure something out, nopony can. I mean, what all can one queen do? You know more about the Fallen than even I do. That's why you should go. I'll prepare a backup spell in case you fail, but it may be too late by then. And not just that, the spell may cost me more than a few hours of unconsciousness. A spell of the magnitude to cover an entire city with concentrated light? It would be the final thing I do. So please, do what you can. The spell will take two days to prepare. Shadow Flare, do you remember the spell I taught you this morning to teleport items over long distances?" He acknowledged her with a brisk nod. "If you succeed before midday, the day after tomorrow, send a letter."

"Yes, ma'am," Shadow said.

"Alright, then. You should get going as soon as possible," Twilight dismissed them.

"Can I see them off?" Jade asked the lavender alicorn. Twilight nodded her assent.

Waiting outside the castle was a large chariot, piloted by two armored pegasi. Shadow hopped into the chariot without hesitation, followed by Scootaloo then Jade.

Rainbow pulled her off the chariot by her tail. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Jade, you know you can't come along. It's too dangerous. You know better than most what they're capable of."

"Why can't I come?" Jade complained, "Ponyville is my home! I've lived there for seven years! And my mama could be in trouble there! I want to help!"

Rainbow didn't see why she shouldn't deserve to come if she truly wanted to. She glanced at the others to see if either of them had any objections. Taking the silence as an okay, she nudged the pink-maned filly forward.

"Climb aboard," she said, "Just don't let Twilight find out, and we should be fine."

Rainbow Dash climbed on after Jade and the chariot took off. They were headed back to Ponyville to fight off a horde of monsters. And they were there because of Rainbow. She sighed. Almost everything that had gone wrong could be traced one way or another back to her. She wanted to block it all out. That's when Rainbow realized she had just created another problem. She had forgotten to tell Twilight about the stolen Element of Harmony.


	23. Our Solemn Hour

_Chapter 23- Our Solemn Hour_

The flight to Ponyville lasted only two hours. Rainbow had been too restless to stay sitting so she had flown alongside the chariot half the time. When she caught the first glimpse of Ponyville, she almost fell from the sky. A dark cloud hung over the town and cast a few flashes of lightning. However, the thunder was muted as if it were many leagues away. The weather suggested precipitation of some kind, yet no rain fell from the gloomy heavens.

The temperature was another thing. The still air was deathly cold. Rainbow's breath bellowed in front of her face in white clouds. When they touched down, the grass crunched with frost underhoof.

"W-what's going o-on? Isn't it s-s-summer?" Jade asked, shivering against the cold.

"It is," said Shadow, "But the Fallen are causing the temperature to drop drastically."

"B-But, i-it didn't get this cold on the t-train," Jade persisted.

"There was only one then," Shadow replied. The green and pink filly shuddered a little harder and huddled close to Scootaloo, who embraced her with her wings, sharing some of her warmth.

"Where is everypony?" the orange mare asked.

"Well. It's extremely cold and somewhere around her are huge shadow creatures. I'm willing to bet they're all inside," Rainbow replied sarcastically.

"Now isn't the time, Rainbow. We need to find out what's going on here and what we can do to fix it," Shadow Flare reprimanded.

"What do think you can do?" said an all too familiar voice. The four ponies whipped around to face Chrono. The yellow stallion stood in the middle of the street, his red eyes flashing in the shadows of his helmet. "This place is lost. This town has been overcome with the darkness. You stand no chance against the Fallen!"

Rainbow Dash stepped forward boldly. "What have you done? Why did you bring them here?" she yelled at the unicorn.

"Me? You think I brought them here?" he chortled inharmoniously. "Perish the thought. The one to blame here is you. You are the reason these creatures are here. When you arrived, the Fallen crawled in through the rift you tore in time. It's because of you that this place is ruined."

"No! That can't be the truth! It's not my fault! You are the one trying to destroy Equestria! You are the one keeping me from going to the past! You even hold the key to make this all end! It is that golden stopwatch around your neck!"

Chrono smirked. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out. Yes, I hold the second Fate Stone. I've had it all along. But, the time to use it is not now."

"We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash reared up onto her hind legs spreading her wings. She flew at top speed at Chrono. The yellow unicorn didn't even move. Suddenly, Rainbow smashed into something. She sprawled back to the ground in agony. For a brief moment a blue orb surrounded Chrono, but within seconds it faded.

"Rainbow!" cried Shadow. He dashed to her side. "Are you alright?" Rainbow tasted blood in her mouth, which she spat out, and climbed to her hooves.

"It's amazing that so much responsibility rests on the shoulders of one who is so reckless and headstrong. Fate is very ironic is it not?" With that, the yellow stallion disappeared on a cloud of black smoke. When the fog cleared, he was gone.

"That guy drives me crazy! Why does he have to be so cryptic and… and… just frustrating!" Rainbow shouted, stomping her hoof into the frosted dirt.

"Clam down, Rainbow. You've been high strung since the train ride. You should rest," Shadow Flare said, coming to stand beside her. She knew he was right. She let out a sigh and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you," Rainbow said.

"What for?" the black unicorn asked quizzically.

"For being there for me. I've never had to rely on anypony so much for emotional support in all my life. And I know I can be… stubborn at times, but you really are there when I need you most."

"What are friends for?" Shadow said merrily.

"Come on. Let's go. I don't think Jade should stay out in this weather," Rainbow suggested. Scootaloo and Jade nodded fervently in agreement. Shadow smiled and nodded. The four ponies wandered through the deserted street until they came to the library. Shadow unlocked the door and allowed everypony in.

"Here we are," he said, closing the door behind his friends.

"So, what are we going to do about this problem?" Scootaloo asked, shaking the cold out her feathers. "We haven't exactly seen any of the Fallen since our arrival."

"I know," said Shadow. "It won't be easy, but we have to figure out as much as we can. There's no point in blindly fighting an enemy we hardly know about. Let alone see."

Rainbow cocked her head, trying to think of some way to accomplish the task of fighting an unseen enemy. She thought through all she knew about the Fallen, which was practically nothing. They affected the temperature and could send ponies to the Void. They were formed from time distortions and were big and scary. That wasn't much to go off of. Surely, there was some clue as to how to fight them off. But it had taken Twilight's advanced magic to hold off just one. What could a novice unicorn, two pegasi, and an earth filly do against enough Fallen to send an entire town to ruin? Rainbow was losing her patience with all this figuring-everything-out nonsense. When she arrived to the future, she had set aside her single-mindedness and put a strong reasoning in its place. Now, her calm reasoning was wearing thin with all the stress that was placed on her. Her reckless nature was showing more often. But maybe that's what Ponyville needed now: a bunch of ponies that didn't care what happened to themselves in order to achieve their goal. Perhaps Ponyville needed a bunch of strong willed ponies that would die to protect their home. Ponyville needed an army.

"Forget about the enemy," Rainbow said, shocking the other three out of their own thoughts. "We just need to fight them, head on. I'm tired of figuring out all these puzzles Chrono has set around this warped time. Let's just plow through them, find Chrono, and get that Fate Stone so everything can go back to normal. If we can recruit enough ponies that are willing to fight, we can overpower them, right? I'm sick of everypony choosing my fate. This time, I'll choose my own." She stood proudly, chest stuck out and confidence stirring in her voice. "We're going to build an army."


	24. To Build an Army

_Chapter 24- To Build an Army_

Rainbow stood atop the raised platform in front of the City Hall in the center of Ponyville. Shadow Flare stood resolutely behind her. Various ponies of all shapes and sizes crowded around the stage, cold and confused. Scootaloo had gone around all of Ponyville, telling the residents of each building to meet at the City Hall before rushing off to the next. Now she was with Jade, down near the base of the stage, shivering in the cold, stagnant air.

The ponies gazed at Rainbow expectantly, waiting for her to speak. The sky-blue pegasus took a deep breath. "Citizens of Ponyville," she began, "You may be wondering why I summoned you here today during such a dark time." A few voices sounded in fuming agreement. "Now listen. This is very important… I am not the Rainbow Dash you all know. I am from ten years in the past." The crowd gasped. "When I came forward in time, the timeline was broken. From that rift in time came the Fallen, the creatures that have been attacking you. The ponies they abduct are sent to a place called the Void. We need to stop these creatures. If we can kill a Fallen, the pony they abducted will return to this world. However, there is evidence of many Fallen, and Shadow, Scootaloo, and I can't stop them on our own. We need as much help as possible. Will you assist us?"

"Do you expect us to believe all this? We know strange things are going on, but time-travel and voids? Rainbow, you must be going crazy! I say you go to a counselor and we'll wait in the safety of our homes until the shadow creatures go away," said a brown pony in the center of the crowd. Many shouted in support.

Rainbow took a few steps back. Crazy? She wasn't crazy. Dash was. Or was she? Maybe she was crazy and Dash was sane. Maybe this whole thing is a giant illusion conjured by her mind. She ducked her head low and turned away from the crowd. Shadow was looking at her. He wore an expression she had never seen on him before: anger.

He took a few steps forward. The red-maned unicorn halted beside Rainbow. "I'll take care of this," he whispered comfortingly. So, it wasn't her he was angry at. It was the civilians. Shadow walked up to the front of the stage.

"Listen everypony! Rainbow is not crazy. There is countless proof of her story's reliability. But it isn't about her. It's you! Here she is, trying to help you, and you treat her as if she is mentally insane? Listen here! The world around you is falling apart. We are literally on the brink of an apocalypse and you merely treat it as happenstance when the strangest things go on. The Fallen are trying to tear us down, and we are the only ones who can stop them from succeeding. Are we just going to sit here or are we going to stand and fight!"

There was a prolonged silence as Shadow Flare's gaze swept across the audience. Rainbow was moved that he had tried to defend her, but it seemed that the speech was ineffectual. That was until somepony broke the silence. "Fight!" shouted a mare in the back, her lone voice echoing in the quiet. "Fight!" joined in stallion somewhere to the left. "Fight!" joined in three more. The chanting began to spread across the ponies, rising in volume and intensity until everypony was chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Rainbow smiled and a tear rose to her eye as she saw the conviction of these ponies.

"Alright!" said Shadow, "Let's build an army!" Cheering roared across the gathering. It was time to prepare.

"Now, when one of you flies toward the enemy, it'll draw the attention, allowing another of you to attack from behind," Rainbow addressed the pegasi gathered around her. They had decided to train them in groups based on their races. Rainbow trained the pegasi while Shadow trained the unicorns and Scoots trained the earth ponies.

The training was tough as she wasn't especially learned in combat herself. She only knew basic skills; most of her advanced attacks being completely improvised. Quite a few other ponies contributed to strategy ideas. That at least made it easier to work with them.

Rainbow sighed and gazed at the clouded sky, now shaded orange with sunset light. They had been training nonstop for several hours. Would these ponies be ready when the Fallen showed up? She sure hoped so. Then she got a brilliant idea. Fluttershy could possibly convince some of her animal friends to assist in battle.

"Time out you guys!" she called across the clearing of practicing pegasi. "You're all doing great! Take five. You've earned it. Now, has anypony seen Fluttershy?" Many shrugged, a few shook their heads. Where was she?

"Um, I saw her with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie yesterday boarding the morning train," said a pony Rainbow recognized as Flitter from her time. She had aged a bit but was still the calm pony she had known ten years ago.

"Hm, I was on that train. I wonder why I didn't see them," Rainbow asked herself.

"Maybe they were riding first class?" Flitter suggested.

"Possibly. If you'll excuse me, I've got to go ask Shadow Flare something. Get your sister to supervise the training sessions while I'm gone."

"Oh. Where is Cloudchaser? I haven't seen her since an hour ago."

"I think she joined a group with Thunderlane and Raindrops."

Rainbow watched as Flitter nodded and flew off to find her sister. Then she took off from the park where the pegasus training was taking place and located Shadow's training area which was just over the rise. She landed next to the unicorn and took in his progress. The unicorns were levitating many items including rocks, poles, and a few even had swords or knives. Some of the more advanced spellcasters were conjuring spurts of flame and the such. All seemed to be going well.

"Looks like you're doing a great job," Rainbow commented.

"Ah. Most of them already knew levitation. I'm really only coaching them on how to use it," he replied modestly.

"Certainly is getting the job done, though."

"So, how are the pegasi coming?" Shadow asked.

"They're coming," Rainbow replied. "Derpy can't fight well at all, but she has some of the most amazing strategies I'd ever seen! And here I was, thinking Derpy was as dumb as she looks."

"Don't let her hear you say that. It'd break her heart."

"Yeah, I should be a bit more careful about what I say."

"So what's up?" Shadow asked.

Rainbow looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Did you just come to make idle conversation or did you have something to say?" he asked.

"Oh!" exclaimed Rainbow, remembering. "Twilight's friends have all gone to Canterlot. That means we won't have their help during the battle. It sucks because they have more experience in battle than most of these others."

"We'll make do without them. We're doing well now aren't we?"

Rainbow sighed, "I guess I just wish they were here."

"It's not them you want. It's their past selves you're missing. It's homesickness," said the unicorn. "I understand the feeling."

Rainbow lowered her gaze. She had no pride left. She let the tear fall to the ground. She _was _homesick.

Shadow pressed himself against her. "It'll all be okay. The world has a funny way of doing things. Even when something that wasn't meant to happen happens, we all still have our destinies. Everypony has a fate, even those who don't belong." He gazed deep into her rose eyes and suddenly the homesickness vanished, leaving behind a warm, comforting emotion she was rather unacquainted with.

"LOOK!" cried a unicorn from a training circle. The mare was pointing towards the setting sun with her hoof. The clouds in the sky thickened tenfold, giving the entire field the impression of night. Temperatures went from cold to subzero within seconds. Then a pair of tiny blue orbs appeared on the horizon. They were eyes. Then another pair appeared. Then another, and another. A black hole yawned in the pit of Rainbow's stomach. She had expected maybe thirty of the dark creatures. But this was not fair at all. This was a horde of darkness. A thousand pairs of eyes shone in the near pitch black sky, giving the illusion of a starry night. It was a night that would be filled with pain. The nightmare had begun.


	25. Children of the Abyss

_Chapter 25- Children of the Abyss_

Chaos. That was the only way to describe it. The darkness made it nearly impossible to see the smoky black figures of the Fallen. Bright lights flashed here and there whenever one of them engulfed one of the ponies out in the field. Rainbow watched in dread as her army was drastically outnumbered.

Had she done the right thing? Or had she just led Ponyville into a losing battle? No. There wasn't time to worry about the consequences now. It was kill or be killed. She turned to face Shadow Flare.

"It's time," she said. Shadow nodded.

With a resigned sigh, Rainbow flew high into the shadowy sky. "ATTACK!" she commanded the army. Shrieks of terror turned to battle cries as the ponies braced for the attacks against their beloved home. It was too late to turn back. The future of the town rested on killing as many of these monsters as possible.

She wished she could see through the gloom. She swooped back down towards the ground and immediately found herself amongst the warring ponies and Fallen. Something landed on her back heavily, causing her to plummet to the ground a few feet down. The pegasus struggled from under the Fallen and whirled to face it. The piercing blue eyes flashed in blazed with cold light. Rainbow lunged forward and kicked it in the face. The creature roared in fury and the clock in its chest began to spin erratically. She rolled away just as the space behind her warped in an illuminating flash.

Then she was face to face with another of the shadowy monsters. She looked all around her, but could find none of her allies. Rainbow launched into the sky, trying to free herself. Three Fallen pursued her on night wings. "Get lost!" she yelled at the creatures. Rainbow flew in a circle as fast as she could until a small whirlwind formed. The Fallen were sucked into her trapped, or so she thought, one of the vast monsters burst from the twister at her. Suddenly, an orange pegasus rammed it in the side.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow called, relieved.

"Come on, Rainbow! We have to work together. Fighting them alone is useless!" The pegasus mare said.

Rainbow acknowledged her with a nod, then taking into account the lighting, said, "Alright. Let's do this."

The two pegasi plunged back into the thick of battle. Rainbow lured one of the creatures into the sky, and Scootaloo took a shot at it with her hind legs. She missed but at just that moment a grey coated pegasus tackled the monster. The creature looked bewildered as Derpy pummeled the creature with her front hooves.

Suddenly, another Fallen appeared behind Scootaloo, its horn raised threateningly. "Look out!" Scootaloo whirled and was tackled by the creature. Rainbow lunged forward and dug her teeth into the mane of the monster. The taste of frost bathed her tongue as she heaved against the force of the alicorn-like being. The Fallen let out an unearthly shriek and thrashed in her grasp. Scootaloo turned back to assist with the struggling monster.

Scootaloo kicked its side and the creature jerked sharply, flinging Rainbow away. She hovered in the air dazed for a second, blood filling her mouth. She spit out some of the crimson fluid and flew forward to continue with the attack. "Watch out!" Scootaloo warned.

Rainbow felt the space mere inches away warp behind her with a bursting illumination. She lurched forward into the Fallen she and Scoots were fighting previously. Out of pure frantic chaos, she spun and aimed a blow at its face. She misjudged the shot and hit it squarely in the chest, directly in the clock. Suddenly there was a sound like whirring gears and the creature exploded in a brilliant burst of light.

"What did you do?" Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow took a second to reply. "The clocks in their chests…" She turned to the orange pegasus, "We might be able to fight them off after all." Rainbow heaved a breath and ascended quickly. "Everypony! Aim for the Fallen's chests. The clocks are their weakness!" There were a few yowls of acknowledgment, but the war did not cease for her announcement.

Rainbow Dash descended once more to meet her partner. Scootaloo was struggling against a Fallen, trying to land a blow in its chest. Rainbow dived towards the creature, landing on its back with a speed that would kill an ordinary pony. The Fallen plummeted to the ground, landing heavily on its chest. It exploded on the ground under her hooves. After the initial illumination, little sparkles of light drifted lazily to the ground around her. She looked up and saw Shadow Flare fending off three of the creatures on his own.

"Scootaloo! We've got to help Shadow!" Rainbow called, charging to the black stallion's side. Shadow swiped at one then another, but they were steadily overpowering him. He cast a spurt of flame at one, and took the momentary distraction to ram one of the creatures in the chest with his horn, piercing the clock and causing a brilliant explosion.

Rainbow caught up with him and stood by his side, prepared to attack. "Need a hand?" she asked.

"It crossed my mind," he said lunging at a Fallen that had come to take the place of its defeated comrade. A fire blazed somewhere nearby, illuminating some of the surrounding pandemonium. Ponies struggled against the shadowy creatures everywhere. Some were covered in blood, some disappeared in flashes of light, and some stood ground with a few allies. It was not looking good.

Rainbow turned back to the three Fallen before them. Where was Scootaloo? As if on cue, the orange pegasus tackled on of the Fallen. One of the others dove forward, wings spread, blue eyes blazing. Its horn sliced Rainbows cheek and she reeled back in pain. Shadow cast some sort of magic at it to distract it, but immediately one of the others sprang and pinioned Rainbow to the ground. The clock in its chest whirled as it prepared its spell to cast her into the Void. She tried to swing at it with her hooves but her forelegs were trapped under the Fallen's immense hooves. Her hind legs were equally pinned.

Time slowed drastically around Rainbow and the Fallen. Scootaloo could be seen in the firelight, diving to her rescue. Shadow turned and gazed at her with fear filled eyes. The Fallen looming above her seemed to crackle with sheer power. Its glowing blue eyes faded to a flame orange. Then the darkness swarmed around her. She couldn't struggle. She couldn't move. Icy darkness engulfed all light and any warmth. The sounds of battle faded out of existence. Or rather, it was she who faded out of existence.


End file.
